Legacy of the Dragon's Flame
by Argus456
Summary: 2000 years has passed,and the magic dimension has been discovered by the Pangalactic Federation which believes that the inhabitants are a threat.The rest of the summary is in my profile.Please R&R.Crossover with Star Ocean:Till the end of Time and others
1. Prolouge

Title:Legacy of the Red Star Summary:What if in 2000 years,the Magic Dimension is discovered and members of the Earth Federation fears that the beings from the dimension will destroy them,so they sent out a huge fleet to attack them(the people of the magic dimension). Fortunately the leaders of the magic dimension managed to stop the attacking fleet by holding a peace treaty between the Leaders of the Federation and a Prince of Eraklion who must work together with a Princess of Alexandria to make the meeting a success and form a peace treaty but someone out there wants an all out war.(crossover between Starocean:Till the End of Time and WinxClub)

Author's note:Well,since an anonymous reviewer requested I change the prologue because of it's dryness and I agree so I'll be starting a revamping the first few initial chapters,so there will be additions to the plotline. Hope you enjoy

Disclaimer:I do not own anything in this fic that is related to Starocean3 and Winx Club but the plot and most of the characters belong to me.

* * *

(Unknown Location)

The newly reborn Army of Decay marched upon Red Fountain,their intention was it's total destruction as their leaders,the Trix sat back on their dark thrones,surveying the raging battle between their forces of decay and destruction and that of Red Fountain's Specialists together with their comrades from Alfea,Icy's eyes narrowed on the familiar sight of the Winx Club as they helped their boyfriends, "Come Ladies,we have a few annoying gnats to crush." Icy flew off, "Gladly sister,come on Stormy." Darcy followed Icy's actions while Stormy huffed, "Fine,I've been itching to give those Winx girls a good shock."

"Come on girls,lend me your strength!" Bloom called out as the rest of the Winx Club joined her, "Alright girl,we got your back." Stella called out before she blasted a Juggernaut with a ball of sunfire. Stella was almost hit by a Flyer Rot but Brandon stopped it with his energy bolas, "Thanks sweetie!" Brandon nodded before he cut down a Decay Trooper. "Alright girls,this is it,one last hit to end this." "Right." all the girls called as they focused their powers on a conversion spell.

Specialists and Fairies fell as they took dozens of the Army with them,this enraged many of the ones still alive,making them deal devastating blows that slowed the Army of Decay's advance. Icy,Darcy and Stormy ignored all this as they charged towards the Winx Club girls. "Now my sisters!Attack!" the Trix then let loose every attack spell known to them as the Winx girls were about to be hit until.

"Winx Wave!!" the fairies called out as a sphere of multicolored grew in size,deflecting the Trix's attack as well as destroying the Army of Decay. When Darcy,saw this,she called for a retreat but Icy stayed where she was, "No!Never again!I will not lose to these pathetic fairies!" Icy charged ahead as she took the full on brunt of the attack as she screamed in pain and agony but she kept on going nonetheless as she tapped into her rage,channeling it into her powers. Her ice powers were useless against the Winx Wave as her powers were drained beyond her limits to even scratch the Winx's power but she kept going,using her own life energy to support her powers but as she pierced the wave of positive conversion energy,her life force burned out but even then,her stubbornness persisted even as she died,her voice screamed out for the blood of the Winx before it was silenced forever.

Darcy and Stormy fled but like Icy,they fell under the Winx Wave's power,the Army of Decay dispersed into nothing as Darcy and Stormy's dying bodies laid on the ground. Bloom and the others looked at the three witches not with contempt but pity, "Do you think we should bury them ?" A squad of battle worn Templars from the Fortress of Light came forward and collected the Trix,Darcy and Stormy were given healing treatment,just enough to prolong their life for them to be transported to their final prison, "We shall deal with the witches,it is our responsibility that they had escaped with Darkar in the first place." As they were escorted away,Darcy and Stormy looked at the Winx girls with hatred, "Mark our words,fairies,there'll be others that'll come for the destruction of the Magic Dimension and you'll be helpless to stop it!"

When the portal closed,Bloom and Skye looked at each other with worry, "Skye,what will we do if they were right ?" Skye looked at the battlefield that were littered with corpses of their friends and comrades, "I don't know Bloom...but I promise you this,we'll do everything we can to ensure the Magic Dimension's future,so that their sacrifice will honored" Bloom hugged Skye as she cried while the rest of the Winx and their boyfriends watched in silence,thinking what the future holds for them.

* * *

(2000 Years Later,Somewhere in Space)

A spaceship drifted in space at a steady pace,it's engines alternating it's thruster usage,the ship then 'bumped' into a barrier and was repulsed a bit before it stopped.

"Sir,I`ve detected a strange anomaly"said one of the officers on the radar console. "What is it Lieutenant ?" answered Commander Andrew Heinmann ,captain of the 'Starlight' an Explorer class cruiser which was sent on a mission to explore outside the `Milky Way` for hospitable worlds for further colonization as the Federation was in need of more strategic locations for colonies and military presence ever since the Enforcer incident a few years ago.

"I believe we have just found a new planetary system but a strange anomaly is preventing our entry into the system,what should we do commander?"Heinmann furrowed his brows and said "Try to figure a way for us to enter." "Yes sir!"

(Meanwhile at Red Fountain)

"Alright boys and girls,today we have our mock battle,all both male and female class specialists are to report to the armoury,collect your respective equipment and report back here in 3 hours." the Head Instructor,Rylon Ortedus said to the specialists of Red Fountain as the students dispersed , some were idling around while some went to the armory to get ready early. "Great.....3 whole hours to myself." said Rylon. "First,boys were hard enough to train already but add in girls and it gets harder,Oh well a short nap should do me good." Red Fountain is different from the way it was centuries ago, more equipment was added to the school to better facilitate its new weapons and armor among many other items .Rylon thought it was too much even though he knew that members of the High Council of the magic dimension have decided that Red Fountain should be better equiped for emergencies and crisis like the one when The Trix tried to conquer the magic dimension,and in the incident the original structure of Red Fountain was destroyed in the process. Recently,girls were allowed to train and learn at the school,a first Rylon thought it was a bad idea but it worked out,the only problem now is,that Red Fountain is more of a military base than a school. "Are we Guardians of the Dimension or simply a tool to control it,(sigh)oh well,time for my nap."he said as he laid down below the shade of a tree

(3and a half hour later,back on the 'Starlight')

"Lieutenant,any update on the anomaly?"Commander Heinmann asked,Andrew was obviously getting worried over the unknown anomaly. "Well sir , we found a way to penetrate the anomaly and should be able to go in now. Shall I send in a few drones to scout one of the closest world ?" Andrew nodded to this as his orders were carried out.

After a few hours,the drones had found a world that is populated by strange beings that looked like humans but they appear to have powers similar to the Expelians' Symbology that made Andrew worried. "By the gods!Do you think we stumbled into 4D space ?Check the other monitors" Andrew calmed down as the officer activated the monitor and his skin paled at what he saw,a large military-like complex with an open field filled with young men and women doing at what appears to be a mock battle with the youths using weapons that look like it should be used in medieval times and yet it looks like advanced technology.(e.g. the laser swords,shields,etc)

Andrew looked in amazement and horror as the 'young soldiers' fought against what looked like heavily-armed robots and won in a matter of minutes. Andrew turned to his now-astonished crew and said "Send a message back to Earth,and tell them what we saw."but nobody responded as they kept watching the replay of the scene on the main monitor and wondered how an army of young teenagers won against heavily-armed machines in such a short time and only armed with swords,spears,shields and other weapons that seem unconventional in modern day combat. Andrew was about to shout until a sound indicated that another drone had found something new,fearing of what he might see he wanted to ignore it but his curiosity gotten the better of him and he pushed the button which changed the view on the monitor.

* * *

(Alfea)

At Alfea,nothing much has changed except that 2000 years has passed and what was odd about it was that some of the staff remain the same including Ms. Faragonda along with Ms. Griselda,Prof. Wizgiz and Prof Palladium as well as the friendly ogre,Knutt the school's grounds keeper.

Today,there was a magic contest in which a group of Fairies and Mages were to fight each other with magic and enchantments. A drone was hovering in the air sending the images it saw to the 'Starlight' but Knutt saw the drone, "Hmmm.......the bugs here growing bigger and bigger every year." and continued watching the magic fight. "Burn!Fireball!" shouted a fairy in a fiery red winx form and sent said fireball towards her opponent,a transfer-student from Red Fountain but the new guy easily absorbed the fireball and the audience awed at the power the young man had as the fireball was a big one and sent a quick lightning spell which knocked out the fairy as she changed back to her original form.

Worried that the girl was hurt,the mage quickly went to her side and checked for any injuries which he promptly healed with some magic. The moment the girl woke up and saw the mage holding her tightly and shouted "Get your hands off me,you pervert!!" ,and with that the mage was startled and fell on his backside and yelled back "What was that for!I was checking if you were hurt."Before the girl could respond,an angry and female voice called out

"Stop this nonsense at once!" the crowd of spectators turned toward the source of the voice which was Ms Griselda who looked practically the same as she did 2000 years ago,as she made her way toward the center,the crowd stood out of her way to make a path. When she reached the pair,they had already stood up and the school's inspector examined them for anything out of place and said "Well nothing seems out of place ,very well you two report to the nurses' station , just to be sure. Let the next match start."Griselda proclaimed as another Fairy and Specialist walked to the small arena to start the match.

* * *

(Later,onboard the 'Starlight')

"Hmm,at least this one appears to be a normal school but why the Smybology?" questioned Andrew. "Maybe its a competition...."said a nearby ensign. "Huh?.....maybe your right."Andrew replied "Lieutenant,any report on the other drones?" "Well another one spotted a similar place like the second drone's images but it appeared to have been shot down." said the officer

"What,when?" Andrew said in surprise. "Just now,sir."replied the officer. "Show me the images before it was shot down."as he said it,the officer quickly uploaded it and yet again on the main monitor,the crew members were puzzled as the images showed a tower-like school situated on a mountain that had a constant black storm cloud above it,with thunder and lightning occasionally coming out the drone barely got past the walls before it was shot down by what seemed like a burst of wind before the drone's images faded out into static on the monitor. "Ensign prepare a com link to Headquarters we are going to send them a message. "Yes sir!" the ensign said as he saluted and proceeded to open the com link to HQ which was on Earth.

* * *

(Cloud Tower)

"Young Witchling!Do you have any idea that you could have damaged school property!"exclaimed an angry Ms Griffin to a cowering young witchling. "Sor...sorry Ms Griffin,I..I promise I won't do it ..a..again."said the young witchling. "(sigh)Very well,but I am not going easy on you next time...you're just lucky that your new here. Dissmissed." said Ms Griffin in a bored tone .

The moment the witchling left, "More than 2000 years,well i guess retirement is out of the question."said Ms Griffin "Hmmmm....what was that thing that student of mine shot down,maybe just a bird."she said as she looked out of the window. Just like Alfea,Cloud Tower remained pretty much the same except that some of the staff of the school have been changed. Also that the school had a new registration system along with better security against magical and non-magical threats,courtesy of Red Fountain. As she remembered the past she dozed off.

* * *

(Meanwhile,on Earth)

"This is the Federation Headquarters,what can i do for you."said the robotic secretary. "This is Commander Andrew Heimann,captain of Explorer class cruiser 'Starlight',I have a top priority information for the President,please connect me to the President's office." "Please wait while i connect you."

(Moments later)

"Thank You for waiting." "President Charles Scotts speaking,what can I do for you commander?" "Sir, i have some important news for you." the new President of the Federation asked curiously,Andrew cleared his throat, "Well sir,you see..."

* * *

Well,this is the best I can do to change some of the stale parts without revealing the spoilers.

I hope you enjoy reading this slightly changed Prologue,this is Argus456,signing off.


	2. Chapter 1

A.N.:As the summary is so long ,i won't be writing it in this modified chapter

Disclaimer:I don't own anything related to StarOcean3 and Winx Club but i do own the plot line and most of the characters

* * *

Chapter 2

(Inside the Nurses' Station)

"OWW!THAT HURTS!" shouted the mage "Oh hush now young man!For a transfer-student from Red Fountain,you sure can't stand pain,can you." said Ofelia,the Head Nurse of Alfea as she dabbled some Healing Salve on the mage's small wounds as he hissed to the stinging.

"Yeah, can't you use your magic to heal yourself." taunted the girl. "Well I can't cause I used it to heal you earlier and may I inform you that when I use my healing powers I'd actually transfer your injuries onto myself,thats why your fine and I'm hurt!" yelled the mage in when a part of his arm felt an extremely painful sting,leaving the two people a little surprised. "Wait a minute,only one type of magic that I know of has that kind of effect,.....The Dragon's Flame! exclaimed Ophelia. "Well, didn't Faragonda told you that I am the Prince of Eraklion,Argus.." but before Argus could finish what he was saying,the door burst opened,a young girl who looked quite angry entered the room.

"Argus Devon Des Erakliones! You are in so much trouble!" the girl was in an angry mood as she walked or rather stomped towards Argus. "Okay." said Argus in a carefree voice. "Allow me to introduce my younger sister,Princess Ro..*whack* Oww!" exclaimed Argus as he was hit on the back of his head by his sister. "That hurts,why you'd hit me sis?" questioned Argus as he rubbed the 'sore spot' on his head. "Thats for hurting my friend,and this 'whack'" "Oww!" "Was for attempting to tell them my full name!It's embarrassing,oh hey Reina,you look fine but I thought you were hurt by my lunkhead of a brother..." "Hey!" Argus complained,after pondering for a while she finally look at her brother.

"Argus,did you ?" but was cut short by 'Reina' "Whoa,whoa,whoa,hold on a minute Rosa,you mean that this..this guy is your brother and has the Dragon's Fire,then that means you have it too...right" "Well,I think both of you need to explain further." said Ofelia as she set her glasses properly,ready for a lengthy explanation..

* * *

(Earth,Inside President's Office)

"Are you sure that this is what you saw?" asked Charles,President of the Pangalactic Federation as he talked to Andrew Heimann on the screen of his computer. "Yes,I am 100 percent sure that these 'beings' are preparing an invasion force ,well 85 percent sure anyway." said Andrew.

"Very well until,further notice,I'll send over three patrol fleets.....but just in case,I'll contact Master Sargent Jacob Cain in the 15th Spaceport Militia for support,he'll be second in command." "But Mr President!" but he was cut short by Charles "But nothing Commander,he will have authority to relieve you of command if necessary. Got it,I don't want us to be the 'Ones' who fires the first shot." exclaimed Charles.

"Yes sir,over and out." Andrew sighed as he disconnected from the com-link with the president. "Oh boy,I hope my nephew forgot about that fiasco with those fiancées" complained Andrew as he walked out of his quarters,a crew member offered him a cup of coffee, "Thanks,I'll need it."

* * *

(Red Fountain,At the site of the mock battle)

"Alright people,the mock battle was a success." shouted Rylon with enthusiasm as he looked at the 'battlefield' with satisfaction. "What a day,I'm sure glad that this is the last exam battle for the year,but I do wonder how the school got their hands onto these equipments,must've been a council member or two who pulled some 'strings' for the school." Ryon smirked as he walked slowly back to his 'WindRider'(1) as the school's main building was quite a distance away.

Just as he was about to go off,a male specialist,ran up to him panting,obviously a messenger with a letter in his hand. "What's wrong,young man?" Ryon asked. "A message for you Instructor,*pants*from Headmaster Saladin." said the messenger in a tired tone. When Rylon took the letter,the messenger took out a flask opening it to find it empty, Rylon smiled and said "Come here,I think I have an extra flask on my 'Rider'." The messenger followed Rylon eagerly to his WindRider.

"And perhaps,you would like a ride back to the school?" The young man's face brightened at Rylon's words,going back to the school on a WindRider was definitely better than running back. "By the way,whats your name,oh and call me Rylon?" "Uhh...name's Trevor,Trevor Pyris,Sir,I mean Rylon." said Trevor in a nervous tone. "Hahaha,my you sound like a squeaky mouse, hopefully you're a fierce fighter in battle. Hahahaha!" "You have no idea sir!" Trevor mumbled before Rylon started to laugh cheerfully as the WindRider rose off of the ground and sped off towards the school,earning curious glances from a few students who had stayed behind to recover the remains of the 'Battle-Droids'.(2)

* * *

(Alfea,Nurses' Station)

"So...um,I guess that's it."Argus was out of breath,he had obviously been explaining about himself and his sister's origins and the Dragon's Fire,it took quite a while to explain it. Seeing that Argus was thirsty,Ofelia poured him a glass of water and Argus gratefully took it and drank its entire contents before going into a coughing-fit. "Brother!Don't drink so fast ,you might choke....but you did deserved that,hehe." Rosa said as she stuck her tongue out in a childish manner.

"Rosa,I'm shocked." said Argus in a sarcastic tone. As the siblings argued with remarks and retorts,forgetting that two people were watching them until they heard a giggle,the moment they heard it,they remembered where they were and stopped. "Sorry about that,what was your name again?" Argus asked as he wiped off imaginary dust off of his clothes. "Reina. You're kind of cute when your nice,eep!" Reina covered her mouth after blurting out those words without thinking,both Argus and Reina blushed at those words. "Ooooh,I get it. You like each other don't you guys." Rosa smirked as she also sang the 'K.I.S.S.I.N.G' song but before she knew it,Argus casted a silence spell on her before she finished the song. "Shut Up Rosa!" shouted Argus in a flustered tone before he instantly vanished in a flash of fire.

"The powers of The Dragon's Fire never ceases to amaze me." whispered Ofelia to herself as she remembered an incident 2000 years ago concerning Sky and Bloom,Argus' and Rosa's ancestors but she was snapped out of her daydream by a voice, specifically Reina. "Nurse Ofelia, but would you mind lifting off the spell Argus casted on Rosa?" Reina asked in a pleading tone. "I'm sorry,but I am not specified for this kind of help ,I'm a nurse not a miracle worker,The Dragon's Fire's spells and enchantments are near to impossible to break,so I suggest she waits it out,here take this and present it to Faragonda,and you young lady,I advise you to go to your room before your brother decides to add more enchantments or something else,and I suggest you stop taunting him about 'you-know-what' before it lands you in more trouble." said Ofelia in a stern and motherly tone as she gave a note to Reina,she happily took the note and walks the angry but fortunately silent Rosa out the door and to her dorm room.

The moment the girls left,Ofelia started laughing. After she calmed down a bit she said in a cheery tone "It's been a while since I had a good laugh,alright young man you can come back now." after a while Argus came back in a flash of fire. "What's wrong?" he asked in a flustered tone. "Please Argus,calm down now let's talk about something." Ofelia asked in a caring voice. "Alright,anything except about my powers or my feelings,okay?" Argus calmed down and sat on a couch that was usually used for therapy. "So..what's there to talk about?" asked Argus in a curious manner. "Well..first,let's talk about the contest,I want to know how it went since I'm usually cooped up in my office."

".........."Argus didn't respond except for bursting into flames and nothing was left even the couch. "What the!" exclaimed the startled nurse. "Sorry but I got places to go and things to do,sorry about the couch but I wanted to test out a spell Avalon taught me yesterday." said a cocky voice before the real Argus reappeared in a flash similar to the last one. "A couple of my instructors back at Red Fountain always tried to get me to sign up to be an official in those boring Battle Tournaments,and I always did that to get them off my back." he smirked as he walked out the door and said to Ofelia. "I would recommend using something stronger wiper spells on the ash stains." Argus chuckled leaving Ofelia to clean up of what remains of the couch.

* * *

(15th Spaceport on the Outer Rings of the Milky Way)

"Jake!Com-link request from Earth."shouted an ensign who seemed to be on friendly terms with the Master Sargent. "Coming." said a voice as a man dressed in full military uniform came around the corner,he opened an automatic door which led to a room with a beeping console,as he sat down he pushed the button which turned it on .Jacob saluted as the image of President Scotts flickered on the screen. "Good morning Mr President,what can I do for you?" asked Jacob in a disciplined attitude. "Stop with the formalities,Jacob. I have a mission for you,it concerns your uncle."said Charles in a friendly tone.

"You mean Commander Heinmann?" questioned Jacob. "Yes,its to watch over him,although he's a commander,he still has anxiety issues,so the moment he starts to show signs of stress,take command,....I'm sorry for giving the responsibility to you but your the only one I can trust with this task in that sector,will you take it?" Jacob thought for a moment and replied "Yes,I'll do it but I'll require some outside people for my support." "Alright,but make sure their a small group,got it. Also,congratulations you've been promoted to Commander Cain." "Of course and thank you sir." Jacob cut off the link as he didn't care for promotions at the moment before he called out "Ensign,prepare the fleet I'm going out on a mission." "Yes sir."replied the ensign before he walked off towards the space-dock,just as he had left Jacob pulled out a communicator,turning it on,he said "Hello Fayt,Jake here,I've a favor to ask of you."

* * *

(Author's Notes:I forgot about something when I started this story,the character's appearance and age,well here goes nothing.)

(p.s:Sorry but don't know how to measure heights)

Argus Erakliones

Age:19 Magical abilities:Dragon's Fire

Description:Tall lean body,Emerald-Green eyes,short blond hair with streaks of red in his bangs.(sorry not good at description)

Personality:Has a strong sense of justice,never turns down a person who is in trouble,and last but not least stubborn,very stubborn and a little mischievous.

Author's plans:The main Protagonist of the story,although he's the hero,he'll need some help from other people in the story.(more to come for the hero)

Rosalina Erakliones

Age:18 Magical abilities:Holy Magic

Description:A little shorter than Argus,Blue eyes,long wavy-blond hair

Personality:Altough younger,she sometimes has the wisdom of a wise elder. Usually the more cheeky of the two siblings,very protective over her friends and family,her temper and her cheekiness are one of her flaws.

Author's plans:Although,she isn't the protector of the Dragon's Fire she possesses powerful magic and will aid her brother through many difficulties.

Reina Alexandros

Age:18 Magical abilities:Fire Magic

Description:Same height as Rosa,Crystal-Blue Eyes,long straight-brunette hair.

Personality:A bit quirky a times but always there to help anybody in trouble,has trouble keeping her emotions under control and thus is somewhat impulsive.

Author's plans:She is Argus' love interest and vice versa,although they won't admit it at first,as she is the protagonist's love interest,she will be with Argus through most of the story.

Rylon Ortedus Age:23 Magical abilities:None

Description:A bit on the tall-muscular side,Hazel-Brown eyes,Short-trimmed black hair with a short beard reminiscent of Cordatorta.

Personality:Disciplined most of the time,but always becoming cocky when fighting opponents that are twice his size. Very confident in his abilities to fight and win in battles when the odds are against him. Very Loyal and trustworthy.

Author's plans:As Argus personal instructor,he's a good friend to Argus despite their age difference. Argus tells him many secrets about himself which Rylon keeps confidential. He will be in a lot of battle sequences in the story.

Trevor Pyris Age:18 Magical abilities:Fire Sage

Description:Medium height,Plain-Blue eyes,Spiky Red hair

Personality:Shy guy,but in fights,he's a force to be reckoned with especially when he's angered. Usually keeps to himself but he is a genius and formulates plans with 80 to 100% chance of success.

Author's plans:As a messenger at Red Fountain,Trevor knows many secrets of the school learned during deliveries. Besides that,he is also in the Sage program which means he has magic powers and will be very helpful to Argus in certain areas of the story.

Jacob(Jake) Cain Age:20 Magical abilities:Symbology

Description:Semi-tall with a slightly muscular build,Dark-Black eyes,Short Brown hair

Personality:Very disciplined,hardly ever laughs after a traumatic incident in his childhood,at first he's against Argus but after certain events,he'll join Argus but but not literally. Very cold at first but will open up,eventually.

Author's plans:Has issues about revealing his feelings. His role in the long run intertwines with many people he meets,both directly and indirectly.

Andrew Heinmann Age:43 Magical abilities:Symbology

Description:Tall,Dark-Blue eyes,Short Black hair Personality:A bit eccentric but knows how to keep himself under control in extreme circumstances. But many people don't believe him only his nephew,Jacob Cain believes him.

Author's plans :I'm not sure at the moment but be sure that it'll involve plenty of action

Charles Scotts

Age:38 Magical abilities:None

Description:Medium height,Green eyes,Short Brunette hair Personality:Very friendly even with strangers,he's an 'open-minded' person. Although he is a good person,some people in the Federation issues orders which the president opposes behind his back

Author's plans:As he is the Leader of the Federation,he will appear in key events of the story,even though he is oblivious to some of the actions of a few corrupted generals.

List of Characters yet to arrive:On hold permanently

Author's notes:Some of the things I wrote in the story confuses some of the readers who aren't familiar with things from Winx Club and StarOcean3.

Just in case you readers don't know Star Ocean 3 is a video game

1)WindRider:A standard vehicle used by the Red Fountain Students,one of many series of hover-cycles 2)Battle-Droids:A special unit of Robotic soldiers issued to Red Fountain for training battles,although only a handful were made,they are capable of bringing down a large beast single handedly.


	3. Chapter 2

On with the story,it's only cleaned up so no additions,sorry folks

Disclaimer:I don't own anything in this story that is related to StarOcean and WinxClub,but I do own the storyline and most of the characters. This chapter goes out to Anesha who inspired me to write this chapter.

* * *

(Red Fountain,Saladin's Office)

"Since you're here,I trust that you've read the message that young Trevor here gave you. Did you read it?" asked the principle of the school in a calm manner while having an air of authority around him,without meaning to which could intimidate even Cordatorta who now holds the position as The Lord of the Fortress of Light.

"Well...um..er Headmaster I." Saladin interrupted him "Don't worry Rylon,but I suggest you read the message now."said Saladin with a slightly disgruntled tone in his voice. Rylon opened the envelope to read it's contents. He found a small collection of status reports from scouts but they were really short.

* * *

Status Report 1:

We were scouting the northeastern area of the Black-Mud Swamp to investigate a rumour of a wild beast making droning noises,our team consisted of 4 Specialists,2 males and 2 females,myself accounted along with 2 others who were bounty hunters. We began by entering the swamp through different entrances of to ensure that we won't be detected,Specialists Team and the Hunter Teams. Low grumbling noises were heard when we continued through a strangely convenient path,the ground seemed as if a large machine trampled on it to smooth it out,we suspected that it wasn't a beast at all.

* * *

Rylon looked perplexed at the report before he turned his sights to Saladin. "Read on,there's more." Saladin said in a softer nodded before continuing reading the other reports...

* * *

Status Report 2:

As our team advanced further into the swamp,we encountered no monsters or creatures at all. It appeared that all life in Black-Mud Swamp had disappeared,but we continued,hearing more droning noises as we moved towards its source. We saw a pixie mole,it was looking for something perhaps food but before we even considered giving it some of our rations,it was captured in an energy-net(1).We waited for a hunter to come out but instead 3 men dressed in strange uniforms carrying some sort of rifles. We decided to follow them to find out what's going on.

* * *

Status Report 3:

We've managed to sneak into their camp without detection but our cover was blown as the 2 bounty hunters came in giving death threats to the men who retaliated,we had no choice but to assist the bounty hunters,despite our orders,the hunters used lethal weapons instead of stun-class weapons. One by one the enemy were brought down but were unfortunately killed. We released the captured animals but some of the creatures were dead,experimented on perhaps. We buried the dead,including the body of the enemy. After that we collected their equipment for analyzing and arrested the hunters for insubordination.

* * *

"Well,what do you think?" asked Saladin in a sincere tone. "This has got to be a joke,right?" Rylon asked with a little bit of worry. "Unfortunately,no for the first time in 1500 years,students of Red Fountain took the life of person." said the headmaster with a hint of remorse.

* * *

(2 Hours Later,Aboard the 'Starlight')

"Sir!The 15th Militia unit will be arriving through 'Gravitic Warp' in 2 minutes."said the communications officer "Good,any status report on the investigation teams?" asked Admiral Heinmann before he sipped his cup of coffee. "Well,most of the units have returned with specimens for studies but team 5 didn't came back ....and are believe to be no longer alive." stuttered the officer. "What!How did this happened?" Andrew was shocked at the news as the officer stammered,unable to describe the cause of the death of 6 crew-members.

"What will be our course of action sir?" "Huh?Who said that?" Andrew along with the rest of the crew on the bridge turned to the source of the voice and saw Master Sargeant Jacob Cain,Andrew Heinmann's nephew. "Sorry about that Commander." replied Jacob in a disciplined attitude,despite the commander being his uncle. "Come now nephew,no need to be serious." said Andrew in a faked cheerful tone. "Sir,now is not the time for this,we could be facing a war between the inhabitants of the this dimension and our Pangalactic Federation,which is still recovering from the Enforcer Incident so strict discipline is a must in times like this. I will back on my ship if you require my help." replied Jacob in an annoyed tone of voice before exiting the bridge heading off towards the transporter which will transfer him back to his ship the 'Diplo II'(2).

* * *

(Cloud Tower,Miss Griffin's office)

"Miss Griffin,a messenger from Red Fountain is here to see you. Shall I let him in?" asked Ediltrude who had no classes to teach today. "Hmm,a messenger from Red Fountain eh. Very well send him in." answered Lamina Griffin. "Yes Headmistress." replied Ediltrude before exiting the room.

(Moments Later)

Trevor Pyris entered the room with messenger's bag on him,he picked out a message disc and gave it to Miss Griffin before making his way to the open window which oddly enough,was where his WindRider set on auto-pilot waiting for him in midair,Trevor was about to jump out but before he did,Miss Griffin asked "Would you like some refreshments young man?"

Trevor smiled and said "Don't mind if I do. Oh yeah,before I forget."Trevor whistle and his vehicle responded by activating a recorder,then he began a message.: "Good day Miss Faragonda,I was assigned to deliver you a message but due to circumstances,my WindRider has the message in the compartment below the recorder as WindRider will return to me after you remove the envelope." Trevor removed a similar envelope from his bag and placed it inside a compartment in the recorder and set a course for Alfea into the vehicle.

Lamina Griffin looked in interest as Trevor typed in the coordinates. After that,the vehicle sped off in the direction of Alfea. "Clever trick,huh? I made it myself." Trevor was hoping for a compliment as he smiled at the sweets that was presented to him. "Clever indeed,...Trevor Pyris was it?" Lamina remembered an incident when Trevor first visited the school an invitation was delivered by him to a witch who at that time was his girlfriend but something happened.......

* * *

_Flashback_

"Come on Vidia,it'll be fun." a 16 year old Trevor pleaded to a young girl with violet hair. "I'm sorry Trevor but the school rules say that a witch can't go to an Alfean dance,ever." Vidia replied with regret. "Don't worry, the invitations say that Cloud Tower was also invited and I already have permission from Miss Griffin,so please,pretty please with those blood red cherries that you like on top." Trevor's begging act was so adorable even a cold hearted person couldn't resist. "Alright Trevor,see you tonight." with that Vidia kissed Trevor on his cheek before she walked off humming a tune that other witches would never do.

Later that night,Trevor came on his WindRider waiting for Vidia. Suddenly he heard a scream that was all too familiar,he pulled out his energy sword and ran towards the source of the scream. When he reached there,he saw 4 senior witches surrounding Vidia . "Stupid little girl,how dare you disobey our unwritten code,you shame us witches by going to that,that Dance! With a Specialists no less We'll show you what we do to traitors of the code!" All four witches casted a forbidden spell which destroys it's victims by destroying their mind and body inside and out but before Trevor could shield Vidia in time,he was too late,she was gone as her body laid in his lap,here eyes blank and her body unmoving.

"Look what we have here,fellow witches. That traitor's boyf-" but before she could finish her sentence,her chest was punctured by a quick stab from Trevor's sword instantly killing her. The other three looked upon Trevor in horror,he changed,his eyes were glowing in an eerily dark sinister glow and his body gave off a fiery red aura and with his mind in turmoil for one moment he said "Why...Why....did....you...WHY DID YOU DO IT!!!!!" and with that he physically transformed into a creature of legend, "Fire Knight"(3)and mercilessly attacked the remaining three witches. In the morning,they found Trevor covered in blood crying over Vidia's body,any evidence of the Fire Knight's presence were all but gone except for it's sword,it's hilt was a strange design with wavy etches similar to fire,the same goes for the blade itself,it radiated a fiery aura of intense heat that no one could even hold it without burning themselves except for the Fire Knight and it's Lord whose name was lost centuries ago. After that incident,Trevor managed to recover through therapy but the legendary sword was locked in a special case and sealed away inside Red Fountain. Although the three witches somehow managed to survive the Fire Knight's wrath,they also recovered and now remain at the Fortress of Light going through intense purification and protection from the Fire Knight's unforgiving temper.

_End Flashback_

* * *

"So Mr Pyris,how's Saladin been doing nowadays?" Lamina poured Trevor a cup of tea while they discussed about current affairs of the two schools.

* * *

(Alfea)

"Miss Griselda,there's something approaching the school."exclaimed one of the students. "I think it's a WindRider but there's no rider on it,do you think a ghost is riding it ?" "What!" yelled Griselda before rushing out to see a familiar WindRider speeding towards the school. "I've should've known,Mr Pyris' auto-delivery."said Griselda in an annoyed tone.

"What is with all the commotion out here?" Shara Faragonda asked as she came out to see the students talking among themselves loudly but they became silent as a vehicle landed in front of her. The machine inside the hovercycle started: "Good Day Miss Faragonda,I was assigned to deliver you a message but due to circumstances,my WindRider has the message in it's compartment below the recorder as usual. The WindRidder will return to me after you remove the envelope."the message then ended before an envelope popped out into Shara's hands. After that,the hovercycle rose into the sky and sped off to its owner.

* * *

Author's notes:So what do you think,I came up with the names myself for the principles and the Ocs(Original characthers)Here are the explanations for this chapter.

1)energy-net:a sort of net(imagine an electrical net that's designed for capturing and stunning its victim) 2)Diplo II:A Battle-Class Destroyer,used to be a transport vessel for military personnel before being modified to meet conditions in battles. 3)Fire Knight:A legendary being that used to signify Anger and Power who serves an even mightier being(whose name will not be revealed yet. Hint:from final fantasy/Tales series) Here is a thank you to my loyal reviewers...er reviewer.:Anesha.(Thanks for encouraging me)


	4. Chapter 3

Author's Notes:So what did you think about the "Fire Knight",I made it up,although the flashback may not make any sense from the last chapter but it will be explained in later chapters.

Disclaimer:I do not own anything that is related to WinxClub and/or StarOcean3.(P.s.:sorry for any misspellings)

* * *

(Unknown Location,Dark Hall)

A tall figure clad in what seems to be medieval armor with a cape draped over his shoulders,walks briskly in a daunting manner despite his heavy armor in a dark hallway with only a few torches lighting the way. The lights reveals a man whose face is mostly covered by a helmet,only showing the lower half of his face,strands of raven-black hair flows out behind the unique headgear. The man stops at a large doorway with a strange design on it,he knocks on it twice before it opened slightly,just enough for him to go through. The room he entered was vast a richly decorated unlike the hallway,tapestries of demonic designs hanged from the wall of the room with a dark red carpet in the middle which lead to a tower-like throne and on it sat an unknown figure,not much could be seen as the room's only source of light were from a few torches.

The armored-man knelt down in front of the imposing figure and addressed him "What can I do for you Milord?" "Ah Dianovas,my loyal servant. I have summoned you for an important task but first take a look at this." the mysterious 'Lord' instantly created an orb out of nothing,showing the events that had already passed in the last 5 days,after that,the orb vanished. "I see but what do I require to do,surely these mortals could kill themselves without our intervention." replied Dianovas in a calm voice. "I see your reasoning,although you maybe my best warrior,you've never had experience with the people of the Magic Dimension,they will try to establish a peace treaty to avoid bloodshed,but the new arrivals seem very...'volatile' and they would probably even attack if provoked. Dianovas,your mission is to first deceive both sides into believing that the other struck them first,and stop any interference to my plan. Is that understood?" the 'Lord' asked Dianovas in an expectant tone.

Dianovas rose from his position and responded "Yes Milord,your orders shall be carried out at once." he went out the way he came in. As the door shuts several figures came out of the shadows. "Are you sure it's wise to send him out so early,Lord Kaleb?"a man dressed in dark robes asked 'Kaleb' in a cool manner. "After all,the device was newly developed." said a woman clad in a scientist's clothing. "Yes,how can we trust him at all. He did killed off 300 of our soldiers before we captured him,are you sure that the device won't broke and make him kill us off next."said a rough looking man carrying a heavy axe. "Aww Shaddup Axilles,my device are always a success unlike you and your brain-dead lackeys." a boy wearing a scholarly robe come up front as he mocked Axilles. "What you say,Runt!!" Axilles was angered at the boy's comment. "Enough!All of you.......your worries are unnecessary,the device is enchanted so nothing can break of you,get out of my sight!" Kainus bellowed out the command in anger. "Yes,Milord."all the people responded simultaneously before exiting in their own way.(magic,warp,etc)

* * *

(Several hours later,Aboard the DiploII)

"Sir,a transmission from the 'Diplo',should I patch it through." the communications officer asked Jacob as he got back to his ship. "Set it up in my quarters."Jacob responded without hesitation.

"Hello Fayt,no time no see." said Jacob inside his quarters with his back to the monitor. "Yes,as a matter of speaking." replied a young and yet mature voice. "You do know about the favor you still owe me right?" Jacob asked in a monotonous tone. An uncomfortable silence was between the two before 'Fayt' responded "Yes,I know. So what is it you want me and my friends do to help."

"For now I want you to monitor both sides and see if you can get 'information'....for us and if required terminate their leader." Jacob sounded firm in his words. "In other words '**spying**' and **'assassination**',right?" 'Fayt' was a bit uncertain about Jacob's judgment. "Correct, as of now,you and your companions are working for the Pangalactic Federation." another moment of silence was between them. "Understood,Sargent Leingod?" Jacob proclaimed Fayt's new position in the army. "Yes sir....Leingod out." Fayt grumbled before cutting off the link.

* * *

(DiploI)

"Oh boy...." a young man in his early-twenties sighed as he slumped into his chair. The man had short blue hair with bangs falling in front of his emerald green eyes,he wore a vest like shirt with a pair of black trousers. A young woman walked into his room,like him she also had blue hair which grew past her shoulder but she had ocean-blue eyes,she had a uniform-like clothing that was open near the middle,a bulge was evident on her small frame and for a mid-length skirt that had a flap at the back.

"What's wrong,Dear?" the two were obviously husband and wife. "Well Maria,Jake has finally asked for the 'favor**'** we owed him." Fayt raised his fingers in a 'sarcastic' manner,Maria was confused at Fayt's gesture. "What is the favor?" she asked as she was curious. Fayt heard her question and rose from the chair and went towards a large wooden chest. "The favor....to infiltrate that strange,new dimension the Federation found." Fayt opened the chest,inside placed in an organized manner were a set of aqua-blue,leg-armor,a pair of blue fingerless gloves,a sword,and a blaster-gun with spare battery-packs. "Maria,you can't come because...." he was cut off by his wife. "Cause I'm pregnant right." Maria said in a bored tone,Fayt felt uneasy because of the comment.

"Don't worry,although it won't be out for another 5 months,I'll be safe with Mirage and Sophia along with the crew watching over me." Maria eyed her old blaster in the chest lovingly. "Oh Fayt,I want you to take my weapon with you,this way,I'll still be with you no matter what." she picked up the weapon and placed it in her husband's hands before kissing him lightly on the lips,she was about to walk out before Fayt quickly grabbed her arm and placed a beautiful bracelet in her hands,Maria took a glance at it before turning her gaze towards Fayt. "This is my anniversary-gift to you,err..I wanted to give it to you next week but as my task may take a while to finish,but just in case." Fayt kissed Maria fiercely on the lips,she was enjoying it but Fayt stopped and smiled gently with a hint of naughtiness. "I'll be back for more...and that's a promise." He walked out the door with a bag with his equipment in it with communicator in hand. "Cliff,get Albel..we got a mission."

* * *

(Alfea)

"Madam,what does the letter say?"a boy asked the principle,Shara was reading the message over and over just to make sure the contents were though the message was short,she continued to read it....

* * *

Dear Shara,

I have to make this message as brief as possible. My boys found strangers in the swamp capturing the local fauna .They had a conflict the strangers were killed in the process,we have their equipment and I wish for you and Lamina to come here and help us. Arun(a-rune)Saladin.

* * *

While Faragonda was reading,two teenagers were arguing while running through the second floor of the school. "What,my fault!My sister was taunting me,I had to do something about it!"Argus was trying to lose Reina by speeding up. "But why a spell!You could have hurt her!Besides,I kind of liked what she said!" Reina blurted out,trying to keep up with Argus but before he could run down the stairs,he heard what Reina said.

"Say what?" but unfortunately,he didn't get his answer as Reina tried to slow down but thanks to her momentum,she crashed right into Argus. "_Got to think of something to break our fall...That's it!"_ Argus managed to summon a shield to cushion the impact. Unfortunately when they 'crashed' all eyes turned to the awkward scene before them,Reina was on top of Argus in an erotic fashion and to make it worse,both of them had their lips locked onto each others giving the 'crowd' the wrong idea.

"Mr Argus! Miss Reina! What in heaven's name are you doing!!" Griselda yelled at the two again. The two immediately split apart,both were blushing madly,things going through their minds '_That was my first kiss,on the lips...' _Reina put a finger on her lips trying to savor the taste of Argus's lips._ 'Man!What have I done!I know what you did,you've kissed a girl who you hardly know about and she's your sister's best friend!Stupid,stupid,stupid!That's what I am.'_ Argus was hitting himself over and over despite the crowd watching the comical scene.

The boys were snickering while the girls were gushing over '_How they look good together'_. "Attention,students!" Shara got impatient with the noise from the crowd. "I will be leaving for Red Fountain to attend a meeting with Saladin and Miss Griffin. While I am away,Griselda will be in charge." she announced before opening up a portal to Red Fountain and entering it.

* * *

A.N:Sorry for the random bit of fluff back there and for this short chapter because of

1)Too many plotholes to fill.

2)Writer's block

3)Lack of reviews=Lack of inspiration

So if any of you readers has a suggestion,comment,and/or requests please review,pretty please with cherries on top. Oh yeah thanks for putting me on your favorite list Anesha. This is Argus456 signing off.


	5. Chapter 4

A.N:I forgot to mention,this story has twists along certain don't be alarmed if something unexpected ,I would like to thank Anesha for being a loyal reviewer,I hope your story get's more reviews,as it is a good one too. Disclaimer:I do not own anything in this story that is related to WinxClub and/or StarOcean:Till the End of Time.

* * *

(Earth,England,Year 1791)

A steam-powered train arrived at the station,a crowd of people were waiting for the passengers to get off. After a while,only an old but kindly-looking lady in a purple dress was still waiting for someone aboard the train,as she expected,a young man with light brown hair wearing a waistcoat with grey trousers and wore a simple coat(I think this is what they wore back then) over it,he was carrying a suitcase and walked towards the old lady with a smile.

"Ah,Master Thomas,welcome home." the lady greeted 'Thomas' with a welcoming smile. "Hello,Nanna. Yes,it's great to be back home....where's father,and my brother?" Thomas asked in concern. "Hello brother Tom a boy who looked like Thomas ran up to them wearing a schoolboy's uniform along with a cap. "Hey there 'Squirt'." Thomas snickered at his own joke while Nanna tried to calm down the angered boy. "Hmph!I came down here just to greet you but you insult me!" his face became sour-looking. "What!You came down here all by yourself?You could've been kidnapped or worse Alex Leingod,you're in trouble!" Thomas pinched his little brother's cheeks earning the stares of a few people.

* * *

(England,Leingod Residence,2 hours later)

"Nanna,I'll be looking for father in the workshop." Thomas opened the door into the yard,actually it was a large field. The Leingod family was a wealthy one but due to the death of Thomas' mother,Rona Leingod,his father became depressed and became obsessed with anything that was related to magic earning him the title 'Crackpot Wizard' which almost ruined the family name but Thomas managed to uphold the family honor by taking over the business which his father owned.

Despite being 19,he succeeded in finishing school early with a high honors degree and kept the business running which was hard as it was a shipping company. Tom walked towards his father's workshop where his father who liked to tinker around with machines when not reading books about magic. Tom saw that the lights were still on but no sounds from inside,he tried to open the door but it was locked.

"Darn it...huh?" he saw the drain-pipe and began to climb up the rusty thing carefully so as not to break it but unfortunately,as Tom was about halfway up the pipe broke and he made a desperate grab for the window ledge. After a while of clambering into the window,Tom ended up in the hallway just outside his father's tinkering-room sounds of a small explosion inside piqued Tom's interest as he opened the door to see nothing but sparks of electricity. "Huh?Sparks?What in Dicken's name is going on here?" his eyes skimmed the room to find a note and a strange-looking watch beside it. He picked up both the items and began to read.  


* * *

Dear Tom,

If you have found this note then that would probably mean that I'm in the future. Do not be startled by the comment,I am of sound mind and body. I'll explain when you meet me. Put on the Time Watch I made for you and set the time to 0727 S.D.(1)and coordinates,4456.8956.094.435.(random numbers I picked out) and push the blue button. P.s:Bring along a weapon and my Spell-Book on the podium.  
Your loving father,Henry Leingod.  


* * *

Tom was perplexed at the words,expecting it was a joke,but just to humor himself he went back to his room and grabbed a few essential items,First-aid kit,a small pistol with a bag of bullets and gunpowder among others. After gathering everything he needed,Tom set his eyes on a sword mounted on the wall with a plaque showing the sword's name:Astral Blade,which means the sword of the stars. The sword was found by his late-grandfather,Albert Leingod,he had found the blade in an ancient ruin that was believed to have been a former temple which housed several 'Sacred Rituals' of the sort or at least that was what his grand father told him years ago.

Tom took the sword into his hand and examined it. "Pretty good condition for a sword that's supposed to be hundreds of years old." Tom swung the sword a few times before taking it with him.  
Moments later,Tom put on the watch and placed the 'Spell-Book' into his rucksack. Tom slowly set the time and coordinates expecting sudden movements but none came except for his breathing and the beeping noise from the watch. "Wait a minute!Beeping noises!?" Tom panicked as the watch emitted an electrical sphere around him. Before he disappeared leaving nothing but strong sparks of electricity behind which set off a fire in the workshop,eventually making people believe that Thomas and Henry Leingod died in the flames but little did Tom knew,that this would begin an interesting adventure for him,his father and future friends.  


* * *

(Red Fountain,Laboratory)

"Saladin,what is this contraption?" Shara asked him as she and Lamina examined the machines that occupied most of the room. "Well,my boys managed to find out that all these are communications devices but they also found out that they have other options which we don't know about. I asked you two to come here to help us find out what they do as our sages don't know any analyzing spells that's good enough." Arune Saladin gestured to the bulky machinery.

The two women glared at their friend and yelled at him "You called us here for a measly spell!!" Arune had expected their outburst and thus remained but his students didn't and were startled while others were cowering away from the two angered principles. "Now calm down my friends,there's more to it than that." the two somewhat calmed down,and at that moment Trevor entered the room with a half-eaten muffin in his hand. "Hi there Miss Griffin,this muffin is great,thanks for the invitation to the..." Trevor looked around the room with everyone's eyes on him that kept switching back and forth from him to Ms Griffin. "What?Do I have a tea stain on my cape." Trevor looked behind his back to check for the 'imaginary' stain.(dense,isn't he) "Well?....What would you do if you had lived for more than 2000 years and do?!" Lamina was peeved at their stares but after her scolding,everyone switch their attention elsewhere,namely the big hulking machines in the room which turned itself on and began a countdown from 10. "What the....everybody behind me!!"Trevor first realized and formed a large dome of energy around the machine that speaking in a monotone voice "All Federation Personnel Please Evacuate The Area...5,4,3,2,1....Self-Destruct activated. Have a nice day in Hell." with that the machine exploded inside the barrier destroying anything else left behind in the barrier.

After a while,the dust cleared leaving behind a huge crater in the floor,as the group's sights turned to Trevor but instead of Trevor,the Fire Knight stood there dusting itself off before answering the three principles in a manly voice, "Are you the Leaders of the Three Schools of Magix?" the knight knelt in front of them and said, "My Lord has sent me to protect you until the time that he arrives himself...until he does so,I'll be here whenever danger is near",before collapsing and turned back to Trevor,he rose up and said in the Fire Knight's voice, "I'll be using this pyreling(2)'s body for the time being as danger is drawing near" he said so before he summoned a smaller version of the fire sword and jumped out of the window.

After a moment of silence,Arune suddenly realized something, "We're on the top floor of the school!" he quickly ran to the window to see 'Trevor' plummeting at an accelerated rate to the school courtyard before he spotted a group of people marching towards the school in a military-like manner,and in their possession was a large vehicle armed with cannons aiming at the school. Arune saw the danger and quickly raised his staff to warn the instructors of the imminent danger through telekinesis(3),and hoped that no more deaths would occur again.

Suddenly,a messenger arrived and shouted "Sir!Three of our Scout Cruisers(4) are gone!".Arune turned towards the messenger who seemed to have ran all the way up here non-stop,was beginning to feel the effects of dehydration,before he collapsed,Shara conjured up an energy potion(5) which the boy drank gratefully,instantly recovering his strength. Arune asked him, "Who took the cruisers?" "I don't know,the ships just took to the skies just 10 minutes ago." Lamina interrupted their briefing, "Now if you don't mind,Shara and I need to return to our schools to prepare them in case we are attacked." With a nod,Arune opened up two portals for the two and suggested "Please take some of my boys with you,they're very resourceful" "Thank you Saladin,alright,10 with me and the other 10 for Cloud Tower." Shara immediately went through the portal with a squad of Red Fountain students.

* * *

A.N:So what do you readers think,if you have any suggestions or just want to flame me,go ahead.  
Unknown fact:this story was supposed to be dedicated to Angel of Atonement,but I'm not sure if he's reading this at all,oh well,at least I have my first and most loyal reviewer,Anesha.  
Here is the new word for this chapter  
1.S.D.:The time that the Federation uses to measure years.  
Pyreling:As in a magic user who specializes in fire but still only an adept.  
Telekinesis:telepathy,need i say more  
Scout-Cruiser:The scout ships that Red Fountain uses for exploration or air-to-air combat  
Potion:Restoration drink,recovers the user's health and stamina


	6. Chapter 5

A.N:Well I guess the story so far has almost every part filled with other stuff besides Winx,I saw that flaw when I re-read the story,I'm thinking of fixing it or not(hehe)  
Disclaimer:I don't own anything inside this story that is related to WinxClub and Star Ocean 3,but I do own the plot line(well most of it)and the Ocs

* * *

(Black-Mud Swamp,Gravesite of Federation Troops)

Dianovas was staring at an empty hole that was supposed to have been a grave,it's occupant vacated the premises. After a moment,a skeleton wielding a sword walked to him with his bones creaking with each movement. "So,have our 'troops' arrived at Red Fountain yet ?" Dianovas asked the skeleton expecting good news. The skeleton spoke despite it being dead and having no vocal cords. "Yes they have Sir Dianovas,they are currently fighting the....... specialists." the skeleton spoke the last word with distaste.

"Good,.....Morak,how long will the spell last,I don't want any mishaps on this mission." "Do not worry,the duplication spell I casted to create these clones will last as long as I want it to." Morak was full of pride as he said those words. "And besides,even if they do fail,my men who have stolen three of their crafts will probably draw more attention from these so-called Federation fleets in space when they attack,all in all they will attack each other nonetheless." Satisfied,Dianovas conjured up a portal and said "Don't forget Morak,no matter how well a plan is carried out,it can't be guaranteed that it won't fail." before entering the portal and disappearing.

"Hmph!What does he know,I have more experience in battle than that insolent whelp!" Morak slashed a nearby tree in half in anger,later another skeleton ran up to him,it was wielding a dagger. "But sir,Dianovas was the one who decimated hundreds of our legionnaires in one single battle,remember?" Morak grew angry at his subordinates comments and knocked his head off with the hilt of his sword. "I know that,you idiot! I was the one who helped that brat scientist,Ronand,subdue him!" after a while,the two undead beings walked away leaving behind an un-buried corpse of a Federation soldier on a mound of dirt to rot away.  


* * *

(Diplo II)

Jake was walking around the ship checking in on his crew members personally. "Hiya Jake!" a Tetrageniot(1) man waved his hand to Jacob in a friendly manner. "Hello Corporal Zeak,so any problems on your end?" Jake asked the 3-eyed man in a disciplined manner. Zeak frowned at Jake, "Come on,don't be like incident happened a long time ago,it's time to come out of your 'shell' and live life." Zeak pulled out 4 tickets out of his pocket. "Come on,I got these tickets to the latest 'Seraphim's Sisters' concert on Moonbase,come on after this let me introduce you to my girlfriend and her sister eh...so what do ya say?" Zeak pleaded,hoping that Jake would accept but unfortunately....

"What!You think that your measly tickets can make me forget what happened back then,never in my life have I've.." before Jake could continue his 'tirade' to Zeak,the ship trembled. "What in the galaxy!" Jake immediately activated a nearby console and contacted the Bridge,after sometime the screen flickered to life showing the face of a worried officer. "Lieutenant,what's wrong!" The officer responded stuttering "S...Sir!We ha...have a...." Jake got impatient and shouted "Spit it out!"Just then another tremor came and the officer was knocked aside by another officer "Just get to the Bridge and see for yourself." The screen turned blank as Jake turned off the connection and ran off in the direction of the Bridge.

After passing several people who were running to their stations,Jake got to the Bridge and sat himself down on the command seat and shouted "Ensigns!What is the situation!" he had to shout as some of the officers were trainees panicking. After awhile,an officer approached him,it was the same officer who asked him to come here. "What's the situation,Ensign..?" Jake didn't know the officer's name.

"Lt. Kevin Stromwell sir." Kevin saluted in respect of Jakes rank. "The current situation is that 3 unidentified crafts are assaulting the fleet and has already taken out 2 of our Battle-cruisers,also most of the fleet have already started to retaliating but they're too fast for us,what should we do?" Jake thought for a moment,then he had an idea. "What about the Prototype Fighter?" several of the officers turned their attention to Jake. "But sir,the Prototype is still experimental and it's might explode if you send it out there in actual combat,you might as well send the pilot to his grave!" Jake rose up from his seat and replied "No,...no pilot is going out there,only one person knows how to pilot it without it going unstable..." the intentions of the commander dawned on the officer. "and that person is me. Lieutenant,you have command until I return." with that Jake walked out of the Bridge and headed towards the Launch-Bay where the Prototype was kept at.

* * *

(Alfea)

The students were clearing away the 'arena' which was used for the competition,and two of them were Argus and Reina. "This is so annoying...how come we just can't use our magic to clear these stuff away." Reina said as she struggled with her part of the platform. "You know that it's against school etiquette to use magic to do everything,besides,I don't mind this at all." Argus replied as he lifted a heavy-looking piece of the 'arena' off the ground with little effort. "Easy for you to say,you have your muscles while I have only 'this'!" Reina pointed to her body,as Argus turned to see where Reina's finger was pointing at,his face was flushed red as Reina's choice of clothing was a bit revealing,as in a midrift top,which showed off her slender figure and a skirt which only reached just below her thighs,leaving little to the imagination.(A.N:I'm no pervert,I've read a lot of stories with this kind of style,that is all.)

Argus never knew how 'Hot' Reina was,especially with her naivety which Argus began to imagine several scenarios with her,but Argus shook his head and reprimanded himself,_'Stupid!Stupid!Stupid!I'm forgetting she's my sister's bestfriend,and that_ _would totally destroy their friendship. Beside,she's way out of my league. What am I thinking!Damn Hormones!' _While Argus was 'scolding' himself,some of the students were observing him at his strange behavior as his face's was switching from one expression to another,one moment he's angry and the next,he's like he was happy until one of the girls exclaimed, "Look!Ms. Faragonda's back,and she brought some students from Red Fountain back with her!" those words knocked Argus out of his daydream and saw that Reina was looking at him him in a dreamy-look on her face, "What?" Argus asked as he was getting nervous as Reina was quite close to him,well not as close as the 'incident'.

Reina's eyes blinked at his reply and blushed but Argus didn't noticed it as he was busy trying to see if he recognized any of the students who had arrived from Red Fountain,but all he saw were unrecognizable juniors as he transferred to Alfea just last year,but he walked to them nonetheless to ask them for information. "What's the situation?" Argus asked the group of Specialists in an authoritative voice,the group immediately recognized Argus as he was quite famous at Red Fountain. "Assistant-Instructor Argus!The current situation is this,Red Fountain is being assaulted and Headmaster Saladin has ordered us to come to Alfea just in case of an emergency,what are your orders sir?" the team leader replied as he and his team salutess in respect. "Hey,hey,hey,watch it with the saluting here,I may be a famous Specialist back there but here,I'm just Argus so please treat me as an equal." the Specialists nodded and despite Argus' request,they saluted him again and walked off to prepare the school's defense. "Oh boy,they sure are stiffs,oh well I guess that's Rylon for ya."

Argus sighed as he rubbed his forehead and also walked away,but his destination was to his dorm room,where his Specialist equipment was kept at. Some of the students who saw the scene,were pondering what Argus was famous for at Red Fountain. Shara looked at the scene before her and sighed deeply, "I hope nothing happens here ever-"but she stopped when she saw Prof. Paladium rushing over to her with an unconscious water-nymph in his arms. "Ms Faragonda,my friend,Queen Algae's messenger is seriously ill,you must help her!" Prof. Cedric Palladium was frantic and on the verge of crying,which was quite a rare sight,Faragonda recognized the nymph as Lusiz,a close friend of Cedric's.

"Professor!Calm down,let me take a look." Faragonda started a spell to see what was wrong with Lusiz. "My word!" Faragonda shouted in surprise. "What's wrong with her!" Cedric was becoming worried with her words. "Her...her life-force....it...it's been drained away!What sort of 'Beast' did this!" Shara thought for a moment before Cedric started crying. "Calm down,maintain your composure.....please at least do this for Lusiz." Palladium started to calm himself, "Your right Headmistress,but if I find who did this to her....they'll pay ten times worst than what they did to her."

The usually calm and gentle elf,said these words with malice,which was unbecoming for a part of the Elven race. Professor Palladium stood up with Lusiz in his arms towards the Nurse's Office leaving Shara to her thoughts but a large explosion coming from Red Fountain's direction interrupted her. She knew that it was Trevor or at least the Fire Knight causing them,several of her students were awed by the large explosion which was so huge that it could be seen across the lake easily. Some of the girls were worried as their boyfriends were at the school.

* * *

(Red Fountain,Frontline of the Defence)

Inside a massive smoking crater,Trevor Pyris who was currently under the influence of the Fire Knight was walking out of it unscathed,while several corpses of the enemy were being charred,the strange thing was only the enemy was effected. Trevor(A.N:It'll be easier to refer to him this way since it's still his body) raised his sword which was a pale comparison to the larger version of the Pyre-Blade into the air and set it ablaze and dashed towards the hulking artillery which was about to fire but the odds were against him,30 'men armed with rifles were aiming directly at him and started firing but Trevor simply deflected each shot with his sword like it was child's play and with deadly accuracy as well because each shot he deflected were sent back to the enemy and killed them all,each with a headshot from their own weapons.

Despite losing several of it's comrades,the artillery operator was unfazed and sent a charge shot from it's cannon directly towards the dangerous fighter but Trevor saw it coming and increased the size of the flames on his sword and the fire immediately solidified into a gigantic red sword which was as big as a juvenile dragon,everyone including the enemy were shocked by it's immense size and turned to see the wielder and saw not Trevor but the Fire Knight himself and he quickly swung the blade with ease and deflected the energy shot back to it's 'owner'.The mass of energy simply re-entered the cannon muzzle and exploded on impact,decimating everything within the immediate area.

Arune Saladin saw this and created a large barrier to protect his students but he was weakening due to the power of the explosion but just as Arune was reaching his limits,a large man ran up to him and used a spell to restore his energy. Arune feeling invigorated,started a stronger barrier and looked up to see his savior and was surprised to see none other than Cordatorta!  


* * *

Author's Note:As to clear up a few things,I'll be writing down the profiles for the characters that are original and the ones from the series as well as the characters from Star Ocean 3

Fayt Leingod  
Age:23 Powers:Destruction Symbology  
Weapon of choice:Sword  
Description:Tall,medium build,Short,shaggy-Blue hair,Emerald-Green eyes.  
Personality:Kind-hearted,Brave,although he sometimes gets nervous around his wife,Has a habit of helping people out of their troubles even if they are former enemies or total strangers. Very friendly towards friends and allies alike  
Role in story:As he is a hero for saving countless lives on several occasions in his younger days,despite overwhelming odds. Now,he's just a spy under Jake's orders but several turn of events will change that.

Maria Leingod(Traydor)  
Age:23 Powers:Alteration Symbology  
Weapon of choice:Guns and Rifles  
Description:Slightly shorter than Fayt,her husband,Small build,Long Blue hair that goes to her back,Cerulean-Blue eyes.  
Personality:Despite being a bit emotional(thanks to mood swings from her pregnancy),she still is good-tempered as well as kind-hearted although she does have a bad habit of overworking herself but is still liked by her friends and loved by her husband.  
Role in story:During the story she will be pregnant for 6 more months,she'll be staying with her friends on board her old ship,which now belongs to both her and her husband. Altough she can't fight for a while,she helps her husband secretly without worrying her friends.

Cliff Fittir  
Age:40 Powers:Symbology  
Weapons of choice:Gauntlets/his bare hands  
Description:Really Tall,Large Muscled-build,Short-Blonde hair,Golden eyes,and three distinct lines on his neck indicating that he's a Klausian(2)  
Personality:A bit cocky but always straight to the point despite some of the choices he makes from these points get's him in in all,a great friend if you can overlook his slight case of stupidity that is.  
Role in story:Just like Fayt,he's under Jake's command as a spy,altough he is more of a bodyguard to Fayt rather than a orders,Cliff would have disobeyed him the moment he hears it,the only reason he'll cooperate is his friends.

Albel Nox  
Age:38 Powers:Symbology  
Weapon of choice:Metal Claws/Katana  
Description:Tall as Fayt,Small-Medium build,Unruly-Black hair that is tied into two blond 'rat-tails',Blood-Red eyes,Albel is also noticeable thanks to his left arm being replaced by specially made mechanical arms in the shape of claws.  
Personality:Hot-tempered and is quite dangerous as he always has a concealed weapons of sorts hidden away. Has a habit of calling practically everyone he meets a 'maggot' which his comrade have gotten use to.  
Role in story:Basically the same as Cliff's although he will obey the orders as long as he gets to fight.

Sophia Esteed  
Age:21 Powers:Connection Symbology  
Weapon of choice:Staff  
Description:Slightly shorter than Maria,Small build,Shoulder-length Brunette-Hair,Forest-Green eyes.  
Personality:Very perky and always seem to look on the bright-side of things,very kind-hearted even though she sometimes dwells too much on the past.  
Role in story:As Fayt's friend since childhood,she likes to help him in any way she can and in the story,she'll be Maria's 'caretaker' despite Maria being a bit un-cooperative at times.

Mirage Koas  
Age:31 Powers:Symbology  
Weapon of choice:Gauntlets/Her bare hands  
Description:Semi-Tall,Semi-Medium build,Long Blond-Hair with a small braid,Plain-Blue eyes.  
Personality:Usually a calm person,even when in dangerous situations but will lose her temper when she is annoyed too much which hardly ever happens. All in all,a good friend to be with.  
Role in story:As she is quite beautiful,she receives 'fan-mail' from a lot of successful men who claim to be her 'fiance' which she ignores everytime. Just like Sophia,she'll be taking care of Maria in her pregnancy. Also as her former teacher in combat,Mirage knows what Maria will do to get work done even if it means overexerting herself. Basically,in the beginning,Mirage along with Sophia will be trying to keep the 'mood-swinging Maria' from doing any unnecessary activities.

Corporal Zeak Idonis(come on I've seen weirder looking names than this one before  
Age:20 Powers:None  
Weapon of choice:Standard issued Federation weaponry/guns  
Description:Tall,Medium-build,Short Green-Hair,3 distinct golden eyes signifying that he is of the Tetragenes Race  
Personality:Cheerful,up-beat kind of guy who usually knows what he's suppose to do in certain situations but he sometimes steps out of bounds but still an ok guy.  
Role in story:An average person who has almost no important place in the story except for being a friend of Jake's,who knows,I may have plans for him as well as others

Lt. Kevin Stromwell  
Age:21 Powers:Symbology  
Weapon of choice:Sword and Gun  
Description:Tall,Strong-build,Short-Silver hair,Violet eyes  
Personality:Perfectly disciplined in almost every way but has problems about people getting hurt because of his decisions  
Role in story:In the story,he is a Lieutenant aboard the Diplo II nothing more. Everything else.....is a mystery(even to me)

Characters from Winx(Since the age of the characters are increased by 2000 years,so their profile will be different)

Shara Faragonda,Lamina Griffin,Arune Saladin  
Powers:Magic of the Ancients(made it up)  
Role in story:Basically diplomats of sorts to the Magic Dimension,that's all I'm saying

Knutt  
Powers:None  
Role in story:An ogre who is Alfea's caretaker/grounds keeper helps the school in any way he can,including fighting off monsters.

Cedric Paladium  
Powers:Elven magic  
Weapon of choice:Saber  
Role in story:Even though he's a teacher at Alfea,he will do anything to protect his students. Including doing things that are against the Laws of The High Elven Court(also made up)

Orwen Cordatorta  
Powers:Wu-Gong(3)  
Weapon of choice:Sword  
Role in story:As the current Lord of the Fortress of Light,he is one of the dimension's greatest fighter and can easily subdue any foe but due to circumstances,he'll be unavailable.

The villains list is off limits,I've already gave away too much.  
If there is anyone I missed,please tell me. Oh yeah,heres the info list

:A race of humanoids similar to earthlings,their distinct features sre their 'third' eye on their forehead  
:A race of humanoids that have immense physical strength due to their homeworld's strong gravity,they are so strong that the weakest Klausian is easily twice as strong to the most athletic of the human race. Easily identified by the marks on their necks.  
-Gong:A form of martial arts performed by only the Knights of the Fortress of Light.

This is the best I could do,so please push the little button down there and send me a is Argus456 signing off.


	7. Chapter 6

Author's Notes:I've noticed that I've been getting more hits on my story lately which means people are still reading my 'crazy idea' of a story. Altough a review or two would've been nice but who cares....right?Oh yeah almost forgot about the fic.  
Disclaimer:I do not own anything that's inside the story that's related in any way to Winx Club and Star Ocean:Till the End of Time.I only own the plotline and the 'Ocs'.

* * *

(DiploII,Launch-Bay area)

Jake had just changed into a pilot's suit,the suit itself was a light-blue jumpsuit with the insignia of the Federation on the left side of his chest. Jake walked through the entire room,ignoring the other fighter-ships. He stopped walking when he reached a panel on the 'wall' and pressed a sequence of commands into it,after a while the panel responded by sliding into the wall which wasn't a wall at all but a large door which was used to house a hanger which the 'Prototype Fighter' was kept at. The fighter itself was easily twice the size of the others,despite it's mass,it still looked sleek and compact with its space-black paint-job making it an excellent fighter,in theory at least.

Jake would've continued admiring the fighter but the ship trembled again from enemy fire which was unfortunately the damage caused by the blast damaged the device which created the gravity for the hangar thus Jake started to float around. "Damn!Got to get to the cockpit." Jake put his helmet on and somehow maneuvered his way through floating tools,almost getting hit by a tool box before getting to the fighter and gotten into the pilot's seat and started activating the Fighter. "Now if I remember the designs correctly,the Operating System uses Symbology to operate,alright here goes everything...."all of a sudden the Fighter began to glow a bright blue then the aura faded away as if it never happened before a monitor turned on.

"Welcome to the Striker. Please state your name and official rank." an electronic voice came from the built-in speaker in Jake's helmet. "Huh?...._'I see,the Fighter has Artificial intelligence' _My name is Jacob Cain and my rank is Commander." the computer beeped a response. "Acknowledged .Now converting all system control to Commander Jacob Cain and self-deactivation of A.I." Jake immediately started the Striker's engine and opened the hangar door remotely and blasted off to battle.

* * *

(Alfea,Argus' Dorm Room)

"Alright,my old uniform still fits."Argus was admiring his uniform when all he heard a rustling sound in his closet. Being cautious,Argus pulled out his energy sword and activate it. "Just in case..." Argus assured himself as he silently walked towards his closet. He prepared to open the door,the sound increased. "Here goes nothing." Argus flung open the door and just as he was about to bring down his sword.

"Aaahhhh!" a scream from inside made him think twice about his actions as the person who screamed was.. "Reina!What are you doing in my closet!" Argus was confused as how Reina had gotten here. Reina was covered in a pile of Argus' clothes and the occasional un-mentionable. "Well......umm..er..hehe. Let's see...I wanted to use a teleportation spell to get to Rosa's room faster but I messed up....when..." Reina blushed a bit before she could continue. "When...when what?" Argus pulled Reina out of the pile so that she could explain better. "Well,...the spell needed me to imagine myself at the location but somehow.....the image in my mind got changed from Rosa's room to you...."Reina became embarrassed and blushed a deeper shade of red,fortunately Argus didn't see it as he was busy clearing up his clothes.

"I see...but how come I showed up in your mind when you wanted to go to my sister's room." Argus was curious about Reina's mishap with her spell. "Umm...Wait a minute,why are you in that suit?" "Well..I'm going to check up on Red Fountain." Reina's eyes widened at Argus' casual response. "So....wanna go with me?" Argus grinned at her and held out his hand while his other hand opened up a portal to Red Fountain,Reina smiled happily and grabbed his offered hand and they went into the portal.

* * *

(Cloud Tower,Courtyard)

The witches were a bit tense since they saw the explosion from Red Fountain,a portal appeared with their headmaster coming out made them feel relieved and a bit surprised as ten Red Fountain students followed behind walked up to the Headmistress.

"Ms Griffin,what happened at Red Fountain.....and why are they doing here?" but when she pointed at the spot where the specialists were but they were gone. "Huh?Where did they ?" as soon as she said that a specialist approached them and gave them a report, "Ms Griffin,my squad has just completed the check-up on the security system,and I'm pleased to say that everything is up to our standards. We will now patrol the vicinity for trouble." the hero bowed down before he ran off to his fellow heroes and heroines in training to begin their duties,to protect the Magic Dimension.

* * *

(Skies over the Wildland,aboard the Eagle)

"Cliff,are you sure that this place is deserted."Fayt had a worried look on his face,to his left,Cliff,was a muscular man wearing skin-tight black combat suit,he also had blond hair which was graying a bit in a few places, "Yeah I'm sure,my instinct tells me that. Why?" before Fayt could answer another man entered the cockpit,it was a 'scary-looking' man as he had blood-red eyes,unruly black hair which ends in a pale-blond tips and to top it off,his left arm where an arm is suppose to be,a metallic gauntlet outfitted with lethal-looking claws for fingers,his name,Albel Nox a.k.a Albel the Wicked, "Hmph!Your so-called instincts always lands us in danger you fool."

"Hey!Whatcha had say that for,my hunches always got us out of trouble!Geez..why couldn't someone praise me like,"What a great plan Cliff"or"You're a genius Cliff!" or something like that." Fayt frowned at Cliff. "If memory serves right,wasn't that your 'instinct' that almost got the Diplo blown up when your 'instinct' told you that going through an asteroid field would be fun,or how about the time your 'instinct' got us lost when we were visiting Nel on Elicoor and you just had to insist on setting the teleporter's coordinates and sent us to the middle of a dragon's nest or how about the time.." Cliff quickly put up his hand in front Fayt and his face was a bit green, "Alright,alright I get it already,man there sure were a hell lot of those critters....my skin still crawls from that experience."

Cliff wanted to drop the subject but Albel grinned but in a maniacal way, "Yes,there were a lot of those 'maggots' around weren't there...it was fun wasn't it,you know....killing them,slicing off their little heads,ripping apart their wings and the best part was when we practically disemboweled their parents,and their guts poured out just like that." Albel was having fun reminding Cliff. "Then the smell they emitted,mhmm,the smell of victory...or the rotting carcass of our victims." Albel's 'smile' was getting so wide that even Fayt was getting freaked out.

"That's it,I'm gonna puke!" Cliff sprinted off to the back off the ship. Fayt quickly took over the controls, "Well that was amusing." Fayt tried to ignore Albel's comment but he seemed intent on annoying Fayt, "My,my..that he sure couldn't handle the thrill of that victory...I'd wager my good arm that even your 'wench' could handle better than that maggot. Don't you agree?" Albel smirked when Fayt reacted by twitching slightly and..,  
"Don't you dare insult my wife!" he was about to slam a fist into Albel's face,the ship began a nose-dive towards the ground which cause Albel to fall down,Fayt didn't as he was secure in his seat trying to control the ship, "Computer what's going on!" but nothing except static came out of the computer's speakers. "Damn,we're going to crash,brace yourselves!" Albel immediately strapped himself into his seat while Fayt struggled to control the ship.

* * *

(Red Fountain)

The battlefield was empty except for the heroes and heroines who participated in the battle, a lot of them were injured but not too severe as to be fatal. Saladin was having a conversation with Cordatorta, "So...old friend,what brings you here. Shouldn't you be back at the Fortress of Light?" Cordatorta smiled, "Hah!The knights I brought with me were graduates from here and they wanted to get out of that 'happy&peaceful' place." Cordatorta made gestures like fluttering his hands like wings which made Saladin laugh, "I see what you mean.....so do you have any idea who our so-called 'attackers' are?" "I don't know,my knights are now searching the area for any clues that could lead us to the answer we seek."

Saladin nodded in agreement and turned his sights to the field before them,the area was charred black where the Fire Knight fought,speaking of the Knight,he's back to being Trevor and is currently caring for the wounded,still unaware that he's the Fire Knight at all. "Excuse me sirs." a knight from Cordatorta's group came up to the two men. "What is it soldier?"the knight gave Cordatorta a piece of charred metal, "This was a weapon of the enemies but it does not contain any trace of the enemies aura but it does contain the remnants of Dark magic that originated from the UnderRealm..." Cordatorta was speechless so Saladin walked up to the knight,

"UnderRealm..any idea who could be using such forbidden magic?" The knight bowed down slightly in respect, "We don't know for sure...but we're trying our best but it seems that nothing remains of our enemy only this thing was found." the knight turned his attention to his Lord,(a.k.a) Cordatorta, "Milord,what are your orders now?" Cordatorta thought for a moment and he smiled and replied, "Half of our group will stay behind to care for the wounded while the rest goes back to the Fortress and inform the others about the situation....oh,and I'll be among the ones staying behind."the knight seemed a bit surprised at his lord's command but regained his composure quickly, "Of course,I'll inform the others." the man walked away just as a portal appeared out of nowhere and just at that moment something fell out of the sky towards the direction of the Wildlands.

"Whoa!What the heck was that!" everyone within an earshot turned their attention back to the spot where the portal appeared and in it's place were a Red Fountain student and a young girl by his side,both staring off into the distance where the 'object' fell,both of them seemed to be oblivious to the fact that a lot of people were staring at them....

* * *

(Unknown Location,?Chamber?)

The chamber was old and musty with the centuries of being unused but if anyone looks carefully enough,they'll see that the chamber walls are decorated with faded tapestries,each one featuring the symbol of the elements of the universe but at the back of the room holds a larger tapestry...one that hasn't yet faded,the particular 'cloth' featured a mural of Dragon's Fire and it's previous and current protectors including Bloom and a spot currently constructing a portrait of Argus through an unknown magical source and in the center of the chamber,a pedestal was there and on it rests a ruby-red crystal.

Suddenly,three figures appeared,then the crystal started to glow, "The time has come....for the keeper of the Flame...to carry out his duties." a voice that was female came from one of the figures,only the outlines of the figures could be seen,then another of the figure stepped forward and from the figure's silhouette,it was obviously a man, "But will the keeper...be ready for the intense power..of the gem ?" then the tapestries in the glowed and seemed to have become sentient and spoke in perfect unison '_The keeper of the Flame shall be ready,in times of need the keeper's hidden powers shall reveal themselves' _then just as the 'voices' came they disappeared.

As fast the three figures started to fade away but as they faded away, one of them spoke, "I hope he can handle this..." but before the other female voice could finish her words,she faded away and became a sphere of light and all three spheres floated toward the Dragon's Fire tapestry and each one disappeared into a portrait, one of Daphne the Nymph and the other two entered the portrait of Bloom but if a person looks even closer,they'll notice that Skye is also in the portrait embracing Bloom,then the glow of the 'crystal' dimmed but still retaining a faint glow.

* * *

A.N:Well,well,the plot thickens...(or maybe the secrets I already gave out ruined the moment...oh well)anyway,I think this is the longest chapter I ever did(for now),so....flame me,criticize me,or just whatever you please,just remain civil.  
Well this is Argus456,signing off


	8. Chapter 7

A.N:Thanks for reading my story,I thought at first when I started this, "What the heck!I don't have anything better to do,...now where to start.....?"(no really,it started like this,find out more in my profile) "(After my first chapter)Wow!my first review,maybe this isn't so bad after all." and the rest is fanfiction history.(forgive the lame attempt at a joke)Well,let's get back to the story.  
Oh yeah,Thanks for the kind review Anesha  
Disclaimer:I do not own anything in the story that's related to Winx Club and Star Ocean:Till the End of Time

* * *

(Somewhere in the Wildlands,Crash-Site)

In a clearing,a ship had crashed there scaring away any nearby wildlife and out of the wreckage a door blew open and flew into the air across the clearing before crashing down into the ground creating a small crater. From the spot of the wreckage,where the door use to be climbed out three men,specifically,Fayt Leingod,Albel Nox and the one who made the door 'opening' Cliff Fittir, "At least we're fine.." Fayt dusted himself off before going back inside to check up on the ship.

"Speak for yourself,I'm still achi'n in my stomach,no thanks to Mr Wicked over here!" Albel drew out a curved sword,a katana from his side and got into a battle stance,Cliff was alarmed at his comrade's actions, "Albel!Whatcha doin with that!" Albel became annoyed, "Get down fool!"just at that moment, a large wolf charged at Cliff who fortunately ducked and got caught in Albel's claws by it's neck. "This is the reason I drew out my blade!" Albel smirked before snapping the poor beast's neck instantly killing it when it's neck snapped,Albel pulled out one of it's fangs and pocketed his 'prize'.Fayt just came out with a scanner showing the shi's condition, "We can forget about using the ship again,guess we have to....Albel!What's with the wolf!" Fayt was staring at the dead animal in Albel's metallic claws, "Oh nothing....just this." Albel began concentrating on the dead wolf and suddenly,he was surrounded by a dark crimson aura and with a satisfied smile,he yelled _"Dragon Roar!!"_ a dark portal opened up right below Albel and apparitions of dragons came out and Albel dropped the carcass into the portal as the savage spirits of the dragons dove back into the portal for its meal.

When the portal closed,Albel turned to the sight of Fayt slapping Cliff's back as he vomited the last of the contents of his stomach. "Cliff,when did you eat so much?" Fayt looked concerned for his friend but then his expression changed to that of anger, "By the way Cliff,I found traces of digestive fluids all over the parts of the engine room,Cliff quickly backed away a few yards from Fayt, "Uh,hehe...funny story about that......  
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________  
Flasback,Cliff's P.O.V _(note that this is my first time with a p.o.v)

_ Man that Albel's a sicko!Damn him for bringing up that experience...brrrr!Still chills my spine and upsets my man my stomach's gonna explode,forget the bathroom!Get a door open already...ah here's one,now where am I?Ahh screw that._ Sounds of gagging was heard inside the room and the resounding plops of whatever was left of my lunch came onto the ground which was flashing._Huh?what's with the flashing lights....uh oh....THIS IS THE FRICKI'N ENGINE ROOM!! _Cliff's thoughts were stopped short as the engine core began setting off sparks and imploded(like exploding but blows up inwardly)  
_End Flashback_

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________  
_"Oh really. So that's what caused the ship to crash..eh.." Fayt had a glint in his eyes from which anyone could tell that's in a foul mood..well anyone besides Cliff. "Uh Fayt,you okay?" Fayt was slightly trembling and was silently chanting a symbological spell, "Because of you,we lost the only way to return to my wife....well......let me......cool off a bit.................... ...._Destruction Sphere!_" a sphere of energy the size of a golf ball covered a tuft of Cliff's hair and it instantly disintegrated into nothing leaving Cliff dumbstruck and he instantly passed out right on the spot.

"I guess I overdid it a bit...Albel,get a fire going and see if you can find a fresh sage(a herb with effects similar to smelling-salts)among what's left of the ship." Albel grunted in response and went off to gather some firewood. Fayt turned his attention back to Cliff, "Sorry about that I was stressed."the only response he got was the sound of Albel gathering wood nearby

(Alfea,Nurse's Office)

Cedric Palladium has hunched over the bed that Lusiz was using to rest,he was holding a cell phone to his ear, "Yes dear...she's resting now...Dr Ofelia managed to heal her......I see,send father-in-law my best regards....bye Marila." Cedric shut the phone off and pocketed it away just before Lusiz moaned slightly in her bed.

"Cedric...my friend....is that you?" Cedric grabbed a nearby glass of water and gently pressed it against her tiny lips, "Drink up,you'll need it to recover your health." Lusiz had no choice but obediently drink the water,after only drinking a quarter of the water,Lusiz stopped. "Cedric,I have a message for Faragonda..." she was cut short by Cedric hugging her gently. "I thought I was going to lose you...you're like a little sister to me,so please rest up some more...then we'll talk about the message for Faragonda but for now...rest."

Lusiz obediently did as she was told and laid her head down on the pillow and instantly went back to sleep. Cedric exited the room quietly before turning back his head to see a dark shadow hovering over Lusiz's sleeping form and immediately pulled out his saber and prepared a quick spell to defend his 'sister'.

* * *

( Red Fountain,Courtyard)

"Argus!You're back!" Rylon rushed up to Argus and enveloped him in a bear hug,unfortunately....he also bear-hugged Reina without even noticing her,cutting of her air supply as well as Argus', "Hi....Rylon...good to see ya......but you.....seem to be crushing my....friend!"Argus was gasping for air while trying to make room for Reina to breath,Rylon quickly put the two down.

"Oops!Sorry about that,your girlfriend seems a bit dizzy here." Argus went wide-eyed at his friend and former instructor's comment while Reina blushed slightly at the idea of them being a couple and unintentionally stopped breathing and fainted right on the spot for two reasons,one:Rylon had cut off their air supply earlier,two:she didn't take in enough oxygen earlier(you get the idea).Argus sighed deeply and picked Reina up bridal style and asked Rylon, "Rylon is my room still the way it is?" Saladin walked up to the two before Rylon could respond, "Argus,it appears that you have much to explain for but I believe right now,I suggest that you send her to bed and report to me immediately...your room is still the same,please continue."

Argus nodded and proceeded to make his way towards the main building,ignoring the people staring at them but managed to overhear a conversation, "Hey whose that ?" "Don't ya know,he used to be the top student here...at least until he transferred to Alfea." "Really?So who's the best now ?" "Well,it's unofficial but it's Trevor Pyris." "What!The messenger boy but he's..." Argus couldn't hear anymore of the conversation as he was too far away,he chuckled a bit and thought _'Trevor Pyris eh,can't_ _wait to meet him.'_

(Argus' Room at Red Fountain)

The room that Argus had at Red Fountain was quite large,the room in fact use to be Skye's which he shared with Brandon,currently the only person in the history books that became a King of Solaria without even being of noble birth. Now it has only one King-size bed which Reina was sleeping in,the only thing out of place was her clothes was she was only wearing a bathrobe(A.n:sorry this is not what it looks like,just read on and find out),she stirred in her sleep before waking up with a yawn and let out an.. "Eek!Where are are my clothes!...and why do I smell like perfume?"

Argus walked into the room,wet and bare at the top with a wet towel over his shoulders,Reina instinctively covered herself with the bedsheets and pointed a finger at Argus accusingly. "What did you do to me!Talk before I blast you with a Fireball!" Argus gestured his left hand to the entrance of the room,the door had a slit on the top half for letters which had a letter box overflowing with pink letters and on the floor by the door a mound of flowers and a puddle of what looked like perfume. "That my dear Reina,are the love-letters my room received since I transferred to Alfea and as for why you smell like perfume,the flowers that had decomposed formed a natural puddle of perfume. When I entered,I slipped on the letters and flowers and landed straight into the puddle along with you so I had to change out of my uniform."

Reina seemed to understood Argus' excuse and then became somewhere between angry and embarrassed. "Then what about my clothes!" Argus chuckled a bit and a young girl entered wearing the regular Red Fountain styled uniform except that the uniform was red instead of the basic blue. "Meet my fellow instructor,Miss Sera Slifer. She's the one who helped you changed you out of your clothes."Sera had Emerald-green hair and cat-like eyes(ya know,yellow),fair complexion and a nice hour-glass figure to boot. Reina eyed her suspiciously then Sera tried to stifle back a giggle but she did it anyway.

"Don't worry honey,Argus here's single,I'm just his bodyguard from any fangirls if you know what I mean. He's all yours!" Sera pinched Argus' cheeks like a mother would, "Ouch!That hurt,sometimes I wonder how you became my friend...by the way where am I gonna get new clothes ?" While Argus was conversing with Sera,Reina was admiring Argus' physique until she was interrupted when Argus was pushed onto the bed with Reina and upon further inspection,Reina saw a tinge of purple liquid on the edge of his lips, "Knock-out potions,one whiff will keep a man out-cold for an hour." Reina struggled to get up from the bed but Argus' position on the bed was coincidentally over Reina,completely pining her down. "What about Argus,you made him drink it!"  
Sera simply smiled innocently and said, "Hmm,he took a whole vial...so he'll be out for an hour too but drinking it does have it's side-effects as a truth potion and with the amount I gave him,even his Dragon Fire can't get him out of that state easily,...so sweetie have fun while I get some clothes for Argus and his adorable girlfriend!" Sear squealed in delight and skipped down the hallways leaving Argus at Reina's 'disposal'. "What have I gotten myself into...." Reina was struggling to get herself free from her predicament until she accidentally knocked Argus' head upward and his lips somehow met Reina's and instantly fell asleep(remember the drop of potion on his lips)with Argus' head resting on Reina's lap,he muttered out, "Reina...... " as he finished,he continued sleeping without a care in the world.

* * *

(Center of King's Cross)

The famous roads of the King,whoever the king was has long been forgotten,four roads converged into each other forming the great 'cross'.Now instead of being peaceful and full of life,it was eerily silent,even the normal inhabitants of animals were gone The place was also filled with fog,even though it hasn't rained for weeks. Suddenly out of no where,several dark portals appeared and Dianovas stepped out from one of them while the rest were troops from the Army of Decay, "Hmph!Army of Decay obey my commands,I have released you and now repay your debt!" immediately the entire platoon of unholy creatures bowed down in respect. "Good,now allow me to grant you new powers."

Dianovas summoned a ball of energy and sent it into the sky and then it rained,at first nothing happened but one of the mammoth-sized beasts bursts into their larvae state and reformed again but this time into human shapes and transformed into Red Fountain students and the same went for the rest of the platoon but half of them turned into Federation soldiers both complete with their weapons as according to their forms,then another portal opened up and Morak exited from it being accompanied by his skeletal soldiers armed to the teeth aware that their with comrades but Dianovas was in command of them and he was unpredictable, "What do you wish of me Sir Dianovas ?" Morak bowed accordingly to his rank. Dianovas frowned and snapped his fingers and the platoon of mixed 'Red Fountain students' and 'Federation troops' started attacking Morak's men,easily defeating them thanks to Dianovas' powers aiding them.

Morak stood there whether horror-stricken that his men were being decimated or just angry that his men can't even put a single scratch on the enemy,no one can tell as his face is nothing but a skull the only answer he could give was drawing out his sword and tried to attack Dianovas but he had conjured a sword made of what appeared to be of pure darkness and parried Morak's attack with an immediate counter-attack to cripple Morak which would have succeeded if his opponent was of flesh and blood,but Morak was of the living dead and took the attack fearlessly,as soon as to sword hit Morak screamed as the spot where he was hit was bleeding and seemed to be sprouting flesh,the infestation of flesh spread throughout Morak's convulsing body and Dianovas just stood there watching the horrendous scene with a calm and cold face.

After several minutes,Morak was seen shivering on the ground,clad in his battered armor he was again human or at least something related to a human being if it weren't for the fangs in his mouth and a pair of horns protruding from his forehead but Morak's newly-grown shaggy-black hair easily covered it,Morak stood up and with every move he made,he shivered. Morak slowly made his way towards Dianovas trying to attack him but found that he was unarmed and simply pointed a shaky finger at Dianovas, "Wh..what...di..did you...do to....me..." his voice was hoarse but still retained his cold tone. Dianovas gestured to a nearby pool of clean water and Morak felt compelled to see in it and saw not a skeleton but a handsome but sinister-looking man in his late twenties. Dianovas spoke before Morak could respond, "I've given you more power,under Lord Kaleb's orders...you are now an official demon,meaning that yours powers have evolved. Our Lord has another mission for you,apparently..the current protector of the Dragon's Fire is now located at Red Fountain,kill the protector of the flames,use the troops here to assist you." he again snapped his fingers and the Red Fountain students again burst into larvae and reformed into Federation soldiers. "These 'warriors' should be more powerful than your last ones." Morak smiled,showing his fangs and saluted his former enemy by bringing his right arm across his chest, "As you wish,Sir Dianovas..."

* * *

(Space-Battlefield)

Jake was sweating inside his flight suit,it took all of his concentration just to keep up with the enemy's movements,although the Striker was the best the Federation could offer,top of the line weaponry,sophisticated stealth systems and the fastest creation engine outfitted,it was still a prototype. Jake had barely even shot at one of the three enemy crafts before his fleet lost two squadrons of Fighters along with another Battle-cruiser. "Damn!They're good....too good!No choice...."Jake opened up a com-link with his flagship,the Diplo II and contacted Kevin Stromwell.

* * *

(Diplo II,Bridge)

Kevin Stromwell was issuing orders to the crew when a screen projection popped up in front of his face,which shocked Kevin a bit but recomposed himself as soon as he saw that it was Jake, "What is it sir ?" the screen showed Jake frantically trying to fight off the enemy while he tried to talk to Kevin at the same time.

"Lt. Stromwell...._'laser blasts in the background'_...open up the file on the computer...marked Str78X...do it now!" Kevin typed in the commands into the ship's computer and pulled up the file and opened it with a click of a button and at just that moment,Jake yelled at him through the monitor, "Now give me the codes for mode A!" Kevin quickly spoke out the codes, "The codes are.......19,20,18,9,16,5,18....I repeat,the codes are 19,20,18,9,16,5,18...." he switched off the computer monitor and apparently,the screen that Jake used to contact his had also shut off.

* * *

(Cockpit of Striker)

"Got it..."Jake had already activated a panel and a keyboard slid out of a compartment and he quickly typed in the codes in rapid succession and immediately felt a minor shock of electricity go coursing through his entire being and found himself somewhere else on the Striker still seated in the control seat, "Probably the heart of the Striker..." he deducted as he looked around his surroundings. Several screens appeared right in front of him,showing the battle taking place in every direction. Jake took the controls and saw new options on the panels,one including of a sword and shield,he smirked before selecting it.

* * *

A.N:Well what do you think,I personally like it but that's my opinion,so shoot!(figurative meaning)  
p.s:If you use a codebreaker(1=A,2=B and etc)You'll find that its code for Striker.  
This is Argus456 signing


	9. Chapter 8

A.N:Finally another review,no that I don't appreciate your's Anesha...well since there's nothing else to say. Let the story continue. By the way,thanks for the kind review Elina  
Disclaimer:I don't own anything in the story that is related in any way to Winx Club and Star Ocean:Till The End of Time,I only own the Ocs,and the plot line..along with anything else inside that's made up.

* * *

(Location:Unknown)

Argus was dressed in his royal clothes,it looked dashing on Argus,the clothes looked oddly similar to the Red Fountain uniform but it seemed tailor-made for royalty,his garbs were richly decorated with golden trimmings,a metal sword in place of the tech-blade,and to finish the ensemble off was a crimson cape with the coat of arms of both Sparks and Eraklion,symbolizing the mutual relationships between the two worlds(sorry,had to do it to save space in later chapters)

He seemed to be asleep until a voice called to him, "Argus.....Argus...wake up Argus.....wake up..." the voice was soothing and yet compelling,which was why Argus woke up immediately and found himself in a weird place,and to add further to the weirdness,Argus was in the air and yet still felt solid ground. "Whoa!Where am I and why am I dressed in my 'Princely' outfit!" Argus tried to crack a joke to lighten the mood and the only response he got was a muffled giggle and Argus quickly got up to see a figure in the distance. "Who are you..?" he slowly walked towards the unidentifiable figure to see who the person could be but all he could figure out was that the person was a woman,that was picked up his pace and ran despite the feeling of vertigo of running on thin air,but as he ran the woman disappeared. Losing his goal,Argus slowed down and decided to look in his surroundings,all he could see were nothing at all,only the strangely rainbow-mixed sky..swirling around constantly,creating a feeling of even more vertigo.

"Ughh...I feel like I'm gonna puke...glad my stomach's empty." when Argus took another step,the 'ground' he stood on flashed brightly and momentarily blinded him. When the blindness wore off,Argus saw a sight so amazing,that he just stood there with his mouth agape. There he stood,on a platform with the most beautiful artwork he had ever saw,a gigantic fiery dragon was holding an orb of fire and from the orb,flowed out life, "Dragon Fire..." Argus said naturally and continued admiring the Dragon's 'gift' to the Magical Dimension,as he studied the orb further,he saw portraits of the Protectors of the Sacred Dragon Fire,the most famous of them all,Bloom,Queen of Eraklion,Princess of Sparks and heroine to the Magical Dimension and he also saw King Skye of Eraklion,embracing his beloved queen. Beside the 'perfect couple',was a portrait of Daphne,the Nymph who gave her life and her responsibility of the 'Flame' to save Bloom,her story's still told as an tribute in memory of the nymph. All of a sudden,the portraits of Bloom and Daphne began glowing and all three of the people inside the portraits came to life and got out of it but not in a physical sense but more of a apparition of sorts and Argus was somewhere between surprised and shocked the transparent form of Bloom giggled at Argus' facial expression and he quickly recognized it as the one who laughed at his earlier joke.

"Now sister,you're scaring him..change into a more suitable form." Daphne had materialized completely as well as the regal King Skye with his Red Fountain uniform instead of his royal garbs and following the two,Bloom also completed her 'materialization' and she was in her fairy form. The protocols he learned from his court lessons had kicked in and tried a pathetic attempt at showing respect as when he tried to bow down,his shoe-buckle got snagged on the linings of his cape and fell down. Skye walked up to Argus and helped him up and went back to Bloom's side.

"Please dispense the formalities Argus,we have something to tell you..." Bloom seemed hesitant to tell him something but continued anyway, "As you know,you are the current keeper and guardian of the Dragon's Fire,the most powerful magic in the Magic Dimension." Argus nodded and kept silent so as to hear more. "Well as you also may know,the Codex is the most powerful magical artifact ever created,meaning it's powers could easily rival the Dragon's Fire.....to counteract this effect since the Dakkar incident,I have created something that far exceeds the Codex in every aspect,but-" Bloom was interrupted when the platform glowed brightly,and after the glowing faded away...it had left a new part to the platform mural,a portrait of Argus wearing strange but powerful-looking armor and surrounding the picture of Argus were several frames filled with figures clad completely in armor,each one a different color and all of them in a fighting stance.

"I see the cogs and gears of Destiny and Fate have begun to turn(corny I know but hey I couldn't resist)." The portraits of the mysterious knights began to glow and each and every one of them came to life and got out of their frames, and stood proudly before Argus. One of them,whose armor was of a fiery-crimson approached Argus and he stood a good 3 feet taller than the young prince and Argus' hand was fingering the handle of his sword,ready for a fight...if the knight should proved to be hostile. The knight inspected Argus through the dark slits in his helmet and pulled out his sword,a gigantic red broadsword with the tip of the blade widened for the purpose of slashing instead of of stabbing. "You are a puny mortal,but a mortal who has potential to be my new master...now,take out your sword and let's test our mettle in battle!" he brought down his sword just as Argus stepped sideways and took out his sword,a longsword made of mythril and went into a fighting stance, "I don't understand what's going on right now but....I won't lose!" and both of them charged at each other while Bloom,Skye,Daphne and the rest of the knights watched the duel in anticipation....

* * *

  
(Wildlands,Forest trail)

Fayt was walking at a slow pace ,with a backpack slung over his shoulders and a checklist-device for well checking, "Alright,that's 11 Physical Enhancers,Check!8 Mental Enhancers,Check!.....hmm..the rest isn't as important but to speed things up,we have a total amount of food and water that should last us for 2 weeks and a half,and if my calculations are correct and if we pick up our pace a bit,we should reach the town I saw before we crashed." Cliff and Albel were a bit behind him both carrying backpacks and some extra baggage which was actually a big coffin-like box,fortunately it floated with the help of hover packs so all they had to do was push it around and maneuver the thing, "Hey Fayt,what's in this big ol' box that's so important to ya anyways,I'm not complaining or anything but this might attract some attention...if ya know what I mean."

Albel spoke up when Cliff finished "Although as much as I hate it but I have to agree to the big Oaf's words." Cliff glared at Albel but kept silent because if they got into a fight,it would attract unwanted attention from any monsters in the area. While Cliff and Albel were having a 'stare-off' Fayt walked up the the 'coffin' and opened up a panel and push a sequence of commands into the keypad and the 'coffin' opened up to reveal a person inside,a man in his mid to late twenties,short raven-black hair in a trimmed-looking style,he was wearing casual-looking clothes which consisted of a black shirt underneath a red leather coat along with a pair of blue jeans but the odd thing was,he wasn't breathing...at least until his eyes opened up instantly,scaring the heck out of Cliff while Albel was ready to pull out his sword.

The sounds of machinations came from the man before his eyes glowed a bit and turned from blue to red and his hand somehow turned into a gun and pointed it at Albel and spoke in an emotionless tone, "Mr Nox. If you would please refrain from drawing out your weapon,or I'll be forced to disintegrate your weapon and if required,you as well." Fayt stood in front of the 'man' and called out "Stop it,you know the mission....now assume program alpha." "Affirmative." suddenly the man's 'hand-gun' reverted back to being a hand and a almost silent hum was heard then a cold greeting was given from the man,

"Greetings,I am the prototype fighter-droid, IZ1,at your service." IZ1 saluted at the three and Fayt started his explanation "Well,as you could guess by now...or in this case Albel has guessed..this guy's an android,Jake sent it to me before we launched from the Diplo...he wanted me to test out his latest project ." Albel snorted before lowering his 'claws' and continued walking away but stopped and turned around and shouted at them "Hey maggots!Are we going to move now or until next week!"with that the android's eyes flashed and the 'coffin' folded up and turned to something that's similar to a suitcase and followed Albel's lead before the rest ran to catch up.

* * *

(Space-Battlefield,Diplo II)

The entire crew that were able to see the battle outside had their mouths agape,but the one most surprised was Kevin Stromwell he saw the effect of the Striker's transformation and uttered these words, "Mode A......'Aries,Roman God of War'."(I think it's how it's spelt,tell me if I'm wrong)

* * *

(Space-Battlefield,Outside)

The Striker had indeed transformed,it was now a massive robot of sorts with it's long limbs,the thrusters had become the legs with the base of it as the feet and acted as boosters while the arms came from a compartment where it was already attached the upper-torso was comprised of the Fighter's main body,the same went for the lower-torso. Suddenly all three enemy ships stopped their assault and moved in to converge on the Striker but the giant mech remained ,the three ships started firing on the immobile mech.

Suddenly,without warning...the eyes of the mech flashed a moment before the entire mech started to change to the color red as according to the red armor of it's namesake and pulled out two metal rods one in each hand and both immediately emitted a red aura of energy,one turned into a laser sword while the other one emitted more laser streams and spread out and then connected to create an energy shield which absorbed the enemy's shots. The Striker quickly charged at the closest enemy and slashed at it,at first nothing happened but it suddenly split in half and exploded,the remaining enemy vessels remained on the offensive,shooting a continuous barrage of lasers which were either absorbed by the shield or deflected back at the enemy which by chance caused the destruction of the second enemy cruiser,leaving only the last target for the Striker.

Inside the cockpit,Jake was getting tired...and sleepy by the second but he shook his head and with an inner battle cry and pushed a random button which showed a picture of a rifle which was just what the mech brought out, "Alright...time to..finish...this one off.....with a bang." Jake activated the controls for the trigger and just at that moment,the enemy managed to shoot the Striker's power pack and it completely shut off but the last jolt of energy surged to the hand and it pulled the trigger and the rifle unleashed a burst of energy which hit the enemy hard and again another explosion occurred the only problem was that the Striker had no power and the unknown fact that Jake was unconscious and was bleeding from an injury caused by the power pack being blasted which caused him to crash his head against the dashboard...hard...really hard....

* * *

(50 Lightyears away from the Battle,Aboard the Dilpo)

"LET ME GO!!!!!" a woman's cry was heard throughout the entire ship stopping every crew member in their tracks. The source of the cry came from the biggest room on the entire ship,specifically,the room of Mr&Mrs Leingod. Currently sounds of a struggle was heard inside and the door was opened by curious crew-members trying to satisfy their curiosity and satisfy it they did.

Maria was being held back by a young brunette girl and another girl who was struggling with Maria's legs which were kicking wildly about. "I said,Let me go!I've got to help Fayt!" her words only caused both girls to double their efforts to hold her down. "Stop it Maria,'punch to the face' Oww!Peppita!Get Mirage!" Peppita looked at her friend with wide eyes and said, "But Sophia,she might get away..'kick to the gut'..owie...I get it..." Peppita quickly ran to find Mirage,leaving Sophia with Maria whose mood swing had just turned to anger and despair which was bad since she could easily pulverize anyone with her bare fists,fortunately she wasn't thinking straight and never thought of it..well at least until she flipped Sophia over her and slammed her down onto the hard metallic floor. "Maria!" there stood at the doorway was a beautiful blond woman with Peppita behind her with her terrified expression on her face when she saw Sophia's aching form on the ground.

"Maria...what are you doing..?" Mirage spoke in a motherly tone trying to calm down Maria as best as she could,Maria just collapsed onto the floor and began sobbing "But...Fayt....I saw his ship...crash...." and she cried even harder,startling Mirage who knelt down so she was eye-leveled with Maria, "Maria...you know Fayt will be fine...he always is...after all Cliff and Albel are with him....so don't cry honey." Mirage continued soothing the sobbing Maria until she fell asleep,where Mirage promptly carried her into her bed.

"Alright Sophia,let's get you to the infirmary...Peppita...please remove any potential weapons from the room....it's a wonder what space could affect early pregnancies.."Mirage helped Sophia to the door and towards the infirmary...the crew members who were watching the entire scene dispersed to do their duties again...but two people remained,Leiber,a security personnel aboard the ship and Marietta,his girlfriend and the navigations officer. All they saw was the serene look on Maria's sleeping face before walking away, "Poor Maria,Fayt better come back safe and sound." Marietta nodded as she leaned into his arm, "I know,but all we can do is to do our duties and pray for the best."

* * *

(Alfea,Hallway outside the Nurse's Office)

Knutt was strolling down the hall,pushing his cart of snacks when he heard a noise coming from the nurse's office. "Hmm...what's going on,...better check it out." Knutt's hands reached for the door but it burst open and someone or something crashed into him, "Knutt!Quick,hold that thing down..Now!" Palladium had dashed out of the door with his saber in his hand and a disheveled look on his face.

"Okie-dokie,now come here you-gotcha!" Knutt had pinned the unknown attacker with his massive hands to the ground. "Alright,tell me!Why are you here..." Palladium threatened the person who he could see was wearing an outfit that resembles a ninja but of a more techno-pro style,the outfit covered practically his entire body to give him stealth and that included his face which the professor removed to find something that was unexpected, "Huh?Another Professor Palladium..?Oh,let me get out my glasses!"Knutt pulled out a pair of square-rimmed glasses from his front pocket and put it on but in doing so,he had released the 'prisoner'.

"Ahh..that's much better..." Knutt's vision cleared to see another elf but he didn't look anything like the teacher at all,the only thing that could even resemble Cedric was the distinctive long-elven ears and the long hair which was of a more platinum-blonde than Cedric's golden locks and also the obvious thing was that the person's skin was icy-blue. "A Night-Elf..?" Cedric was shocked at his discovery and the Night-elf just took Cedric's saber and was prepared to decapitate the 'stunned' professor and the fact that Knutt had somehow tripped over his cart...the elf was helpless...that is until a shout came from down the hall, "Incandescent Sphere!Light!" a ball of fire wrapped in an aura of light came at the Night-Elf but he evaded the blast.

Fortunately,Cedric quickly recovered and countered the spell with his own spell."Reacticus!" the fireball simply went out in a puff of smoke. When the smoke cleared,the mysterious Night-Elf was gone leaving no trace of him ever being there except for the 'mask' Cedric pulled off him. Cedric turned towards the direction of where his rescuer had cast the spell and there stood...or rather floated Rosalina Divina Erakliones a.k.a Rosa in her fairy form which was a two piece,a silvery top with her midrift showing and a pure white skirt that reached just below her calves and a pair of high-heeled silver boots,the outfit also sported golden trimmings giving Rosa,a look of elegance. "Rosa,am I glad to see you." Cedric walked up to the fairy just as she transformed back to her normal attire, "What's up professor ?" "I've got a message for you to deliver to Faragonda,now hear it is..."

* * *

(Grounds outside Red Fountain)

Trevor Pyris was patrolling the area with a squad of junior Specialists which consisted of 3 girls and an equal number of boys and as if by coincident all of them were paired up as they were boyfriends and girlfriends,Trevor felt slightly sad and frustrated, "It sure is nice to be in love....but I couldn't even protect my first love.....some boyfriend I was..." Trevor sighed in regret before he heard marching coming from the direction of King's Cross.

Trevor wanted to find out what was coming so he jumped up to the lowest branch of a nearby tree and made his way up by jumping from branch to branch until he was at the top and saw something...an energy blast coming right at him. "Oh come on!Not again!" Trevor whined just as he leaped off the tree and took out a small blaster and started shooting at the enemy and shouted to his squad "All of you!Get help from the others,I'll hold them off!" the juniors seemed uncertain and wanted to stay behind to help but an angered battle-cry from their senior told them otherwise as they saw him charging the enemy alone with gun and sword in hand,and as they already know,whenever Trevor let's out a battle-cry...he is not to be trifled with. In accordance to their senior's order,they got onto their hovercycles and retreated back to the school for help,hopefully they'll be on time before Trevor tires himself out.

* * *

Author's note:So...what do you the readers think of this chapter,hopefully your comments would be positive like my current reviewers:Anesha and Elina. Well..since I've nothing more to comment about the chapter. This is Argus456,signing out.


	10. Chapter 9

Author's note:Since there's nothing to say except,Thank you very much my dear ,now that's out of the way,let the story continue.  
Disclaimer:I don't own anything in this story that is related in any way to Winx Club and Star Ocean:Till the End of Time.I only own the Ocs and the plotline

* * *

(Red Fountain,Argus' Room)

"Glad I'd kept my old outfits around,....now if I remember correctly,Argus had left some of his in the closet..." Sera dumped a small bundle of her clothes on the bed and looked at the two people sleeping in each other's arms since they moved around in their sleep. "Aww,how adorable they look together. Reina must've sipped a drop of it from Argus' lips...didn't know she was that forward." Sera pulled out another vial of a pink liquid and poured some of it into Reina's mouth and tipped her head up to make her swallow the liquid,the potion had its desired effect when Reina woke up groggily "'Yawns'..I feel so refreshed...what happened..."Reina instantly jumped out of bed when she saw Argus' face an inch from her face.

Her face was flushed red from embarrassment,especially when she saw Sera giggling with delight and she handed her some clothes and pointed to a changing screen(A.N:you know,the screen where people change clothes) "I hope my clothes can fit you cause their the only ones I don't want anymore....oh yeah please be quick,Argus should be wide awake in half an hour or so....if you know what I mean."Sera winked at Reina before lying down beside Argus and began snoring softly showing that she was asleep which Reina didn't notice as she was changing behind the screen but she did get mad for no reason whatsoever and she didn't know why, '_Am I jealous of Sera ?' _Reina shook her head to get rid of the notion before continuing changing. '_Am I ?'_

_

* * *

  
_

(Gates of Adquistes)

Fayt and company had arrived at the scene earlier had been watching two men who appeared to be guards standing there chatting but suddenly a golem-like beast approach the guards with it's fist raised and slammed it down on the guards but they managed to jump out of the way with their spears out,ready to fight. "What is it!" one guard called out to the other one who responded "I think its one of those Army of Decay Juggernaut..."both guards were evading the Juggernaut with difficulty.

While Fayt and his friends were watching the battle a distance away, "Sir,should we intervene."the android asked Fayt,expecting orders from his current superior. "Yeah Fayt,those guys won't last long against that thing." Fayt pulled out his sword and that was a good enough answer for the group as the group readied themselves for battle but Fayt pulled out a small cylinder and a gave it to the android and said "We shouldn't reveal that your an android,this is a laser weapon,just set it for any weapon you want and it will be that weapon." the android grabbed the weapon without hesitation and set it for a large broadsword(similar to the one Brandon used) and waited for Fayt's signal to attack.

Meanwhile to the guards surprise,more creatures similar to the first one came and overwhelmed them,just as the Juggernaut was about to deliver the finishing blow,it was unexpectedly surrounded by a sphere of symbols and exploded,leaving nothing but a small scorch mark on the ground and th smell of burning rot. The guards turn to see their rescuers charging towards the creatures. "Thank god..." the guard said before he passed out from his injuries.

* * *

(Location Revealed:Dreamworld)

"Take this!" Argus swung his sword at the knight in a vertical slash but his opponent just deflected the attack with his sword. "Is that all you can do,O Weilder of the Flame." the knight taunted Argus as he shot out a large fireball at the young prince,Argus put his hand up and absorbed the ball of fire and released a blizzard spell against the knight who staggered after being hit by it.

"So your basically fire-based ehh. Glad I took Professor Avalon's lessons seriously. Alright,here goes nothing......Ice Blade!"instantly Argus' hand emitted a cold aura and it enveloped his sword before solidifying into a sword made of pure ice. "Yes!..,only one chance before the spell wears off." Argus had a bit of trouble wielding the sword as the ice tripled the weight but he just ran forward,charging towards the knight who just stood there with his sword at the ready.

"I shall not be defeated so easily!" the knight tried to deny the fact that the balance of victory has shifted in Argus' favor but the knight stood his ground. As Argus swung the massive sword of ice,his opponent tried smashing the ice but all it did was breaking his own sword and expected a quick end....but he didn't get it,he opened his eyes and saw through the slits of his helmet,the icy blade just inches away from decapitating him,the knight just uttered these words, "You passed."

* * *

(DiploII,Sickbay)

"Ughh....where am I ?..." Jake's vision blurred before slowly focusing and saw that he was inside the sickbay,his forehead covered in a bandage and saw a medical officer,monitoring his condition. Jake took his time check out the officer's feature,she was a young girl,a cadet probably,she had chestnut-brown hair with unusual eye color of gold,she wore a pair of laser lenses(A.N:a pair of glasses projected from a tiny device on the bridge(nose)holder,if you played Xenosaga before,you'll know what it means,now on with the story),her facial features showed that she was nervous and the fact she was blushing whenever she took a peek at him...or rather his shirtless body. _She looks familiar...better ask for her name. _"Uh um,what's your name miss?"

The girl was startled but after setting herself upright. "M..My..name.....is...Cecille...Cecille Sanders..." the young medical officer stuttered. "Gagh!..." suddenly it hit him,his head was pounding,the same went for his heart as he grabbed his head,covering his ear trying to cut off the sounds of torment he's hearing in his head. _Cecille! Where are you,sister!Father!Mother!Anybody! _Suddenly,horrible visions of a child covered in blood crying sadly over three bodies,a man,a woman and a young girl all three were dead with pools of blood pouring out and hovering over the child was a looming shadow with a bloody dagger,ready to kill the boy and when the dagger come down....the boy's cries ended when he suddenly ducked out of the way and grabbed the gun in the dead man's hand and shot it several times until the battery charges ran out.

A fire ignited and exploded,engulfing the boy and the now four corpses and out walked a man,he had an icy glare that could render anybody terrified and mentally paralyzed,his face had a scowl that showed he meant business and to Jake's discovery,the man was himself carrying a bloody sword and his clothes were soaked in blood. The mirror image of Jake was crying constantly calling out the same name over and over,Cecille "'Cecille'...my sister....Nooooo!" the real Jake screamed and the horrible images simply dissolved and Jake found himself again in the sickbay with Cecille(the medical officer)along with Zeak,(his childhood friend)and Kevin Stromwell,along with half the bridge crew watching him in concern, "Hey pal,what's with the screaming back there...did you hit your head harder than we thought?" Zeak nudged Jake in a friendly way,indicating his comment was a joke but instead of shrugging it off as usual,he chuckled a bit which surprised his friend but he quickly 'closed' himself in again and thus returned to his former state of a loner.

Jake asked Cecille what had happened after he had the seizure earlier "Well...um..you fainted and started to call out my name and something about your father and mother...before you began screaming,....you were...glowing.." Jake went wide-eyed at the mention of glowing. "What do you mean by glowing ?" Kevin stepped up and continued the explanation, "When the entire crew heard you screaming,half of us got here to investigate and found you covered in Symbology Runes which Coporal Sanders told us,were glowing..that's all we know." Jake took the time to soak the information in while also putting on his shirt, "I see...what about the Striker..." "Well,besides the power-pack that needs to be replaced,the Strikers still in good condition,man you had us worried when we got you out,bleeding from your head...thought your brain had exploded or something."

Zeak cowered away when several of the crew members gave him death-glares but he ran out of the room when Cecille threatened to cut off his 'roots'.Everyone laughed without restraint,with the exception of Jake. When Cecille turned back to her good-natured and shy self again. "Alright....current business.....funeral detail..." at these words,everybody in the room became solemn as they remembered that they had lost several hundreds of lives in the battle. Jake somewhat pitied them and spoke up. "I'll be doing it,everyone else....please make some paper flowers for the wreaths...its the least we can do for them...."Jake now fully clothed,gestured for everyone to exit the room,leaving only Cecille as this was her workstation.

"Cecille Sanders was it ?....Well...when I called out your name....it actually was my sister's name..." Cecille tried to pick up the conversation, "So...how is your sister now ? Is she beautiful ?" Jake shut his eyes tightly,trying hard not to cry and answered, "Yes....she was....." "Was ?What do you mean........you mean..."Cecille gasped as the reality of Jake's answer, "Yes,...she's dead...along with my parents...don't worry,you're the first person that I'd ever told....would you please listen to my past ?...I need someone....someone to confide in." Cecille nodded and unknowingly,blushed at the same time. "Thank you,now...let's prepare the ceremony."

* * *

(20 minutes earlier,Dreamworld)

"What do you mean by _You passed_." Argus said as he released his hold on the spell as the ice blade cracked and fell to pieces,leaving the longsword as he put it away into it's sheath. The knight he had just defeated began laughing at Argus' clueless face and his armor began changing,it gained more defined markings of the element of fire...flames engulfed the entire knight and it died away just as fast leaving his armor resembling that of a crimson sun. "I said,you've passed the trial of the Flame Elemental,Efreet...my powers are now yours." Efreet declared as he removed some items from himself and threw them into the air and there they remained,a small red shield with the symbol of fire in the center,good attacks rather than defends due to it's size,a long staff which was outlined with a red dragon curling around it,and last but not least Efeet's own sword but it became smaller to fit Argus' needs and in the middle of these items was a small crystal that had a fiery aura surrounding it,

"This shard contains my essence of fire,this hard holds immense power on its own,not even the Codex can compare.....but hear this,the shard is but a piece of the Red Star and with great power,comes great responsibility." with that,the three items converged on the shard and seemed to be absorbed into the shard and it floated down to Argus who let the shard create a string to make a pendant. Argus immediately felt a flood of knowledge on the arts of fire magic pour into his mind,but none of them showed any information on the Red Star only mentioning about a catalyst of sorts,Bloom walked up to Argus and placed a motherly kiss on his head and told him, "Sleep.....the time is not right for you to learn about the Red Star....not yet...now....sleep..." with her comforting words of wisdom,Argus fell asleep,only to wake up in his bed with Sera sleeping by his side and someone changing behind the screen, '_Must be Reina.....was that a dream ?' _But Argus found a pendant around his neck and stared at it, _With great powers,comes great responsibility....._ the words that Efreet told him kept repeating themselves in his mind....at least until "So..how do I look ?" Argus saw Reina in her new outfit and just well, "Whoa...."

* * *

Author's note:So,my dear readers....what would you give this chapter from 1 to be honest.  
p.s:I got a review from TenWings,now that makes it:  
Anesha(registered)  
Elina(Anonymous)  
TenWings(registered)  
I guess things are picking up after all. Well...this is Argus456 signing off.


	11. Chapter 10

A.N:I guess the last chapter was too short for my taste but I'll try to make it up with this yeah,what do you readers think about Efreet,the fire elemental. I have a forum on my profile page for anybody who wants to put in their suggestions for other names for the other elementals and the names of their weapons,or you could do it in your reviews.(your choice)  
Disclaimer:I don't own anything in the story that's related to Winx Club and Star Ocean:Till the End of Time.I only own the Ocs and the plotline

* * *

(Red Fountain,Argus' Room)

"Whoa....." was all Argus could answer plus drooling a bit as he laid his eyes on Reina in her new outfit,a purple satin top with ruffles which showed her middle and a black cotton skirt which became longer at the back,since the skirt was a tad too large for her petite waistline and it was kept up by two leather belts which crisscrossed and the belts themselvesselfves had a few pouches for keeping who-knows-whatever items it contained,and to finish the ensemble,a pair of elegant knee-high boots. Reina was blushing as she saw Argus ogling her, "My my....someone looks ravishing.."Sera was awake from her nap and had a mischievous glint in her eyes and gave a kiss on Argus' cheek which had the desired effect,Reina's face was bright red...not from blushing but from embarrassment,anger and jealously while Argus just gawked at his friend who just got up and went over to his closet and took out a package and threw it over to him and said, "Better get dressed,it's your new Instructor uniform...oh yeah I think a summon for battle should come after a while,so get suited up quick..."

Sera winked at Argus before exiting the room,leaving the two to their thoughts, '_What was Sera thinking....planting a kiss on my cheek,who is she...my girlfriend ?' _Argus unwrapped the package and saw a uniform similar to Sera's but it was for boys and had a something extra,a pair of armbands and his face lit up with delight. It had a note attached to it:

'Hope you like it,the battle-band 1000 has every equipment that a Specialist needs,just think it and you'll have it. Your friend and instructor,Rylon.'

Reina eyed Argus' new accessory curiously and thought. _I wonder if it has a sword in it or something _and just as she touched the edge of the armband,it projected an image of an energy sword and materialized which fell into Reina's open hand. Reina dropped the sword which turned off and the handle which was a bit heavy by the way fell onto Argus' toes that were unfortunately unprotected causing Argus to wince,trying to hold in the pain.

Reina looked worried,"I'm sorry,is there any way I can help,get you some healing salve,fetch your boots ?" Argus was massaging his toes which were now purple. "No thanks,it's ok.....oww,that hurts!"Argus yelped as his toes started bleeding slightly but Reina chanted a healing spell, before a warm light covered the cut which simply closed up and disappeared as if it was never there,"Thanks...."Argus looked at Reina and saw her looking straight at him,right into his eyes and he into her's.

Argus unconsciously moved his hand and tipped Reina's head closer to his own. Reina's heart was racing and her mind was panicking '_Oh my god!Argus' going to kiss me and this time it's on purpose.' _Reina closed her eyes,hoping for a real kiss this time but a loud call came into their minds _All Specialists,prepare for battle!I repeat,prepare for battle!Trevor Pyris is now engaging the enemy on the outskirts of King's Cross! _Argus quickly grabbed his new uniform and got behind the screen and began changing as fast as possible. Reina looked disappointed as she never got her kiss. '_I was so close too....I guess it wasn't suppose to be a kiss after all....'_

* * *

(Battlefield,outskirts of King's Cross)

Trevor was cleaving his way through the masses of enemy,the hostile troopers shot several times at Trevor but he just performed feats of acrobatics to avoid them and fired his own blasters in rapid succession at nearby enemies. The only problem was that he was immediately surrounded,but Trevor's eyes had a glint of rage in them as Trevor just jumped into the air just as they opened fire and shot down their own 'men',Trevor put his sword and blaster away and pulled out two powerful-looking rifles and started shooting. With each shot,Trevor was propelled into the air until the rifles started overheating. Trevor just threw them away as if they were bombs at the clusters of soldiers and exploded,taking a good chunk out of the force.

He then took out several boomerangs and threw them expertly while he was still airborne,each projectile took down at least two to four soldiers but their wounds just healed up when they unexpectedly stood up again. "What the!"Trevor suddenly realized as he saw that the soldiers he 'killed' were actually larvae reforming into more soldiers. _Army of Decay... _Trevor nonetheless pulled out a broadsword and prepared to fight but when he landed,his sword was knocked out of his hands and saw a man clad in battered armor with a lethal-looking blade in his hand and he smiled which showed a pair of fangs. Altough the odds of Trevor's survival had decreased,he quickly made a grab for his sword and turned it back on,ready in a battle stance. "You want a duel eh....very well....The rest of you,carry out the mission. I'll deal with this whelp!"Trevor's eyes bugged out when the man sprouted bat-like wings and his skin became dark and rough,he grew claw-like nails,horns grew on his head,he grew a snout complete with fangs and a long tail lashed out at Trevor who fortunately,saw it coming and tried blocking it but all it did was earn him a broken sword. _Demon... _Trevor knew that he wouldn't be able to defeat such a powerful being alone but he could stall until backup gets here. "Flame Sword!" Trevor yelled as he conjured up a ball of fire and it took on the shape of a sword. "Alright!Let's rumble!" Trevor smirked as he once again jumped into the air for the initiative to deliver the first blow.

* * *

(Alfea,Headmistress' Office)

Shara Faragonda was having a meeting with some of the teachers and faculty,they included Barbetea,the libraian,Ms Du Four,the one who teaches students manner,Prof. Wizgiz,the Metamorphosimbiosis teacher,Avalon the Magiphilosophy teacher and of course Griselda,the self-defence magic teacher and 'assistant' to Shara. "Alright everybody,listen up the Specialists had given me their report of what's going on at Red Fountain...from what I could figure out-"Shara was interrupted when the door slammed open and Rosa rushed into the room "Headmistress,I have...a message...from Palladium...." Rosa gasped for air before regaining her composure and continuing her words. "Palladium asked me to tell you this,a night elf had appeared a while ago,trying to kill Lusiz.."

Shara along with everyone else gasped at the information and bombarded Rosa with questions, "Is she alright ?" "How did a night elf get past the specialists ?" "What did the night elf look like ?" "Stop!" Avalon shouted,causing every person in the room to be quiet. "Now..please continue Miss Rosa." Rosa blushed as any girl would blush at the 'handsome' Avalon before starting again "As I was saying before,the night elf had escape,Lusiz now has Prof. Palladium guarding her along with a round the clock-shift from the specialists,they believe that Lusiz might hold important information....I think...that's all..." Rosa finished as a pixie bunny flew into the room,and into her arms. "Oh Kiko,what am I suppose to do with you(yep,Kiko is alive and kicking,and yes he's a pixie animal,check the series)..."Rosa tickled the cute pixie bunny and exited the office,leaving the school staff to their thoughts.

* * *

(Adquistes,Guard Post)

"Heal!....Alright,that should close the wound."Fayt wiped off the sweat from his face,his mind was strained from the healing spells he casted on the wounded guards. "Thank you kind sir...but can your friends handle the remaining monsters..."the guard flinched as he irritated a wound that hasn't completely healed yet. "Don't worry,me and my friends have dealt with worst before." Fayt turned his attention a few yards outside to see the android cut down the last monster.

"By the way,what are your names. After all,we need to know the names of our rescuers of course..."the other guard who had the least injuries asked Fayt as he 'produced' a bag from a cabinet. "My name's Fayt Leingod,the big guy is Cliff Fitter,the scary-looking one is Albel Nox and the guy in the red jacket is..uhh...I mean Izak Lastelle...." Fayt quickly made up a name for the android and he earned curious looks from the guard who held out the bag to Fayt and said "Here...take it...it's a way of saying thanks for the rescue....it has about 2000 Magix-Credits inside...I also noticed that your money is different from ours so this should help you out. Fayt took the bag gratefully as he bowed to show his gratitude, "There's no need to bow,my brother and I are simple guardsmen,we earn more than that amount each month due to the obvious risks." Fayt saw that the two guards had similarities and thus must've been brothers. "I thank you but can you tell me where we are,we're kind of lost..." the brothers laughed and began the procedure to open the gate as they help out the palm of their hands as beams of light went towards the gate as it automatically opened. "Welcome to the shopping city,Adquistes!"Fayt and company minus 'Izak' gawked at the brilliance that was Adquistes. Hover-cars and Hover-cycles zoomed over their heads and several people of different races and species mingled around the beautiful city.

"I think we have time for a little shopping." Fayt muttered but just enough for his group to hear. "Izak frowned and informed Fayt, "But sir,what about the mission." Fayt replied, "Izak,I believe we could secure a transport around here so be patient." Cliff looked at Fayt as if he had a screw loose, "Izak ?Why you give the robot a name for ?" "The guards asked some questions,I had to do something...Hey,where's Albel ?" they turned to see him checking out some katanas that were for sale and a group of girls were trying to flirt with him but Albel just shrugged them off and continued examining the swords that were on display. Fayt smacked himself on the forehead as he noticed that Cliff had went into something that resembled a pub and Izak was going around asking people questions about transportation."Ughh..Nothing ventured,nothing gained ...."Fayt walked towards the nearest shop to start his 'shopping'.

* * *

(Pixie Village)

Ninfea was playing a card game with a pixie little bear in the town square where the flower of life was,and she was losing to the pixie animal, "I guess I win this round..." the bear said in a sleepy manner as it put down his cards, "Royal Flush..." Ninfea frowned a bit but smiled as she handed the pixie bear a cookie as he took it and ate his winnings. Suddenly both of them shuddered as if a cold breeze blew by. "Did you feel that ?" the furry pixie looked up into the sky and saw a strange sight,

"Dragons,Great Dragons(1),I thought they're hibernating....only something big could cause them to abandon their hibernation cycles..." Ninfea nodded as she saw the Great Dragons flying towards the forest regions of the Wildlands,the only other place on Magix that could suit their needs. "Wonder what's going on.....Livy..Livy..Li-ahhhh!"Ninfea dropped her cards as Livy,the messenger pixie was right in front of her with a look of excitement on her face with a look of excitement on her face "Whatwhatwhat!Tellmetellmetellme!" Livy spoke her words so fast that it was close to gibberish so Ninfea had no choice but to splash her with her cup of tea. "....Sorry...it's just that it has been a while since my last delivery assignment...So what is it you want me for....oooo dragons,big dragons..."Livy admired the dragons as she had completely forgotten about Ninfea.

"Uhh...Livy ?" the minifairy nudged the messenger pixie slightly, "I've got a letter for you to deliver...to the other Codex Keepers.."Livy's eyes lit up with excitement and instantly grabbed the three letters that Ninfea had somehow finished during her moment of admiring the dragons,before pulling out her staff and conjured up her hover-board and sped off towards the closest location,Cloud Tower...

* * *

(Red Fountain,Hanger gate)

Several specialists were rushing about,some were boarding aircrafts from the standard fighter to the enormous aircraft carrier which carried four spare fighters and two jet-stormers(2)while a few others were getting their dragons and the rest who were merely mages helped prepare the one who were heading out to battle and among them was Rylon Ortedus.

"Alright people...Hustle!Hustle!Hustle!Intelligence says that the enemy is radiating high energy signatures,we can't be too careful. Let's move out!"Rylon jumped into the cockpit of his fighter,ready to launch at the command of an unknown specialists but Rylon was guessing who it was going to be.

(Red Fountain,Courtyard)

A large number of WindRiders were revving up as their riders were tense for battle and Sera Slifer was at the second behind an empty Space-Binder(3)but a young man in the instructors uniform jumped into it just as the Space-Binder's program activated and started covering the man in armor but it left the man's head without a helmet,he turned around and smiled at Sera as he put on something like a headphone, "You know you'd kissed me on the cheek back at my room right.."

Sera just giggled and replied "So,...did you kiss her yet." "Not yet but I was so clo-Hey!How did you know.....never mind..All riders ready!Let's ride!All assigned air support squadrons!Launch!"from the 'headphones' a helmet was formed as his new Battle-bands shined as he sped off with several other specialists behind him as well as a small fleet of airborne units.  
Reina just stood at the gate and saw Argus just as he passed the gate,even with his helmet on,she held her sights on Argus as he sped of on his Hover-cycle. _Please come back safely.... _Reina's hair was swept sideways by the wind,giving her a look of forlorn.

* * *

(Dream-Dimension)

Bloom was standing before the knights who except for Efreet decided to keep their true forms hidden. "Your highness,are you sure that giving him the power of fire at such an early time is wise....after all,fire is like the embodiment anger,hatred,malice,desire,passion..."

Bloom continued the knight's words "..and love...even undiscovered love can be so close to you,there's a chance you'll deny yourself that feeling....unfortunately,Argus is such a case...let's hope that it's just a phase...or else he'll never be able to access the full potential of the catalyst....."Bloom returned to Skye's open arms as they returned to the portrait and to 'heaven' to rest.

The knights just stood there thinking,then one of them,a knight in aqua-blue armor that looked quite feminine which showed that the knight was a female. "I wonder if we could give the young protector hints of the future-" Efreet slammed his fists together and yelled "That's impossible!It would disrupt the trust Lady Bloom has in us....then again...if we do this subtly...we could pull it off,Thank you Milady."Efreet bowed towards the female knight before signaling for the others to return to their dwellings..

* * *

(Diplo II,Outside at the site of the Battle)

Everyone was dressed in spacesuits two lines of ten carried rifles while the rest of the crew were in one large group and each one of them carried multicolored flowers folded from paper. Jake was wearing a unique suit,it was like a standard suit but more form-fitting for an officer of high rank,through the helmet's radio he spoke these words, "We have come here to do our duties,we came here with more than 1000 men and women...In the last battle,we've lost more than half the number,they lost their lives in the line of duty....we offer a memorial to them."

Jake gestured to the crew as the riflemen fired their rounds into space as the others released the flowers from their arms,the flowers drifted off towards the wrecks that were the ships that had been destroyed earlier. The same thing occurred at the other remaining ships,hundreds of paper flowers floated from them as they also performed the ceremony under Jake's request,he saluted at a nearby wreck that was the Starlight which had its hull punctured by the enemy's laser blasts and it literally sucked the air out of the ship before parts of it started exploding for unknown reasons.

Jake maneuvered his way towards the wreck and found oddly enough,the captain's seat that his uncle had sat in when he last saw him alive and not far off was an escape pod. _Could it be... _Jake quickly activated his jet-packsand flew to the escape pod,Jake activated the controls outside and saw through a monitor screen his uncle and a few others from the Starlight. "Thank goodness..."Jake sighed in relief that his remaining relative was still alive...injured..but alive.

* * *

Author's note:Well this should make up for the short chapter I last made,and here's the explanation in detail:  
1.)Great Dragons:Larger than the regular dragons that the specialists train,only specially talented specialists could make a pact(4) with these magnificent beings,also some have known to have lived for thousands of years and have gained the intelligence that could be compared to a scholar.(Imagine the dragons from the European paintings or better yet,the dragons from the game Star Ocean:Till the End of Time)

2.)Jet-Stormers:A more compact version of the Red Fountain fighters,outfitted with small laser turrets for fast of the little jets you see in the series but smaller and with more guns(hehe...bang bang)

3.)Space-Binder:Another of the Hover-cycle series,unlike the standard WindRider,the Space-Binder is far more advanced as it has an internal program that gives it's riders protective armor as the speeds that it can reach would cause the riders to either black-out from the G-Force or if it exceeds it's limit,the riders might become victims of second-degree burns through friction unless protected by the armor.

4.)Pact:The ritual where the person who wants to make the pact,in this case a specialist. There are two main ways of obtaining a Great Dragon's trust,one is to challenge it in combat and win but only a few successful pacts were obtained this way and all of these were made by the Templar Knights of the Fortress of Light,which of course Orwen Cordatorta had succeeded when he took the trial to become the Lord Templar. The other way is rare as the process itself,although simple...the dragon choses the right person to make the pact with but the Great Dragons are quite picky and been known to either examine the person and leave him alone or if the person was corrupt,he would either scorch that person to death or just swallow him whole,if the dragon seeks a pact with a human,it would usually be a person with a pure soul and it is hard to come by as the Dimension of Magix is diverse..but if a person of such qualities should show up,a Great Dragon would show itself and ask the person if he or she would want a pact with them,most usually accept,as it shows the Dragon that the person respects his offer...but should one decline,the dragon would either leave you alone and asks of you to never reveal his location...or he'll just erase your memory of the encounter.(pretty much the same thing)

Author's note:Well...that was a long explanation but it'll save me some space in the next few chapters.  
Now this is Argus456 signing off.


	12. Chapter 11

Author's note:I'm running out of ideas for new characters,I'm now open to any suggestions such as....ahh forget what I said how about this:If you wish to be in the story,just PM me the name you wish to use and the profile you wish to be.(p.s:use names,and please no jokes.)Well now that's out of the way...(p.s:Glad you're enjoying the story Anesha)  
Disclaimer:I don't own anything in the story that's related in anyway to Winx Club and Star Ocean:Till the End of Time. But I do own the Ocs and the plot line.

* * *

(En Route to King's Cross)

Argus was far ahead from his team as his Space-Binder was far more advanced than the standard WindRider "Argus!Hold on!What are you hurrying for!"Sera called after Argus through their transmitters. Argus immediately slowed down to match Sera's speed. "Sorry about that....I had zoned out a bit...."Argus clutched the pendant which glowed a bit the moment he touched it. "Oooookay,so what's our objective 'chief'" the lower half of his helmet retracted as he smiled "The mission is a simple rescue mission but here comes the hard part..."Argus then activated the custom weapons array on his Space-Binder as he gestured to the direction in front of them,a large and powerful looking enemy force but then their numbers had tripled by unknown means and they were also riding WindRiders and opened fire the instant they were in range.

"Damn everyone split up!Rylon!Give us cover fire!" Argus fired off several blasts at the enemy hoping to draw their attention to him but he found out that their target was him all along when he heard, "There!He's the one that Morak sent us to kill!Get him!" Argus' eyes bugged out when he saw the enemy's true form. _Army of Decay..... _Argus quickly brought his Space-Binder around and retreated..just in time too as the laser barrage from Rylon's air units had come to his waved at the Jet-stormers as they flew towards the remaining enemy that still retained their human guise. Argus signaled his scattered team "Alright!While Rylon provides cover,we'll charge through their lines and retrieve our target!Let's move out!" Argus re-activated his vehicle and sped off into the enemy ranks with a broadsword materializing in his hand,sword at the ready,he uttered a battle-cry that could've rivaled Trevor's as he cleaved through enemy ranks. With his actions,his team watched in awe as he brought down one monster after another as he charged through them....but when they try to catch up to him,they were immediately surrounded by several Juggernauts along with Beast Troopers(1).Sera readied her weapons of choice,a laser whip glove and claw combo(2),the same went for the other team members as they brought out their weapons. _Hope you make it...._ Sera thought as she kept hearing Argus fighting his way through the enemy lines.

* * *

(Cloud Tower,Headmistress' Office)

Lamina Griffin was trying to monitor the disturbance she had detected at King's Cross,she almost got the answer but a blockade spell destroyed the crystal sphere she was using,she put up a barrier before the broken shards of the crystal could stab her. "What in the world!That spell had an aura of evil in it-" at that moment,Livy the minifairy messenger flew right in on her board crashing right into the barrier which Lamina had forgotten to put down,Livy slid down onto the floor and she got pricked by the shards as she started hopping about trying to get away,forgetting that she could fly with her wings.

Lamina picked up Livy and saw that she had no wounds whatsoever. _It's a wonder that minfairies could be compared to immortals...._She saw three letters scattered on the floor,she picked them up and saw the names of the three school guardians of the Codex pieces, Concorda of Alfea,Athena of Red Fountain and of course,Discorda of Cloud Tower. "Discorda,you're needed in the office." Lamina mumbled,knowing that Discorda would hear it,and as expected the haughty minifairy flew into the room and saw Livy, "My dear Livy,what are you doing here...did you forget your marbles again ?" Discorda intended that as an insult but she saw Livy's outfit was torn a bit and she was crying, "Oh my,let me fix that for you." her face softened up as she went to fix Livy's clothes with magic. "A bit of fun,a dash of kindness,and plenty of fashion sense,here you are with your new outfit." magic black dust showered on Livy's clothes and changed into a new outfit that looked like a combination of her old outfit with Discorda's only it was pure white,with blue trimmings.

"Thanks,..oh yeah I have a letter for you...Oh No!Where is it!Where is it!" Livy dumped out several trinkets from her magic bag as to why it was magic was seen when Livy dived into it scrounging for the letter that was in the Headmistresses' hands. "Here you are Discorda,Livy...you can go now...Livy ?" both Griffin and Discorda looked into the bag and saw a nearly endless pile of trinkets and letters,all mashed into one big pile and in the middle of this pile was Livy,hopping about..forgetting that she was suppose to be on an assignment. "Weeee,this is fun!What was I doing again ?.....Oh well,weeeee!" Discorda slapped her forehead at Livy's forgetfulness,while Griffin just sighed as she conjured up a teapot with tea brewing inside and two teacups,one for herself and a small one just for her flustered companion. "Care for some tea..." Discorda picked up her cup. "Yes,and make mine with a chip of a sugar-cube."

* * *

(Meanwhile,Red Fountain)

Reina explored the school grounds as she'd never visited the school before,she accidentally crashed into a into an old man who fell down,the man was in fact,Arune Saladin,Headmaster of the prestigious school for heroes and heroines, "I'm so sorry sir..er..." she helped the headmaster up while apologizing, "It's quite alright my dear....by the way,didn't you come here with Argus...what's your name ?" Saladin dusted himself off. "Oh!My name is Reina Leah Til Alexandros.." Arune's eyes widened as Reina told him her full name,Arune bowed down a bit. "I see the the young princess of Alexandria has grown up to be a beautiful young lady....I do hope you remembered me..but back then,you were a mere baby when you were engaged..... oh,it appears that I slipped that out..." Reina's mouth was wide open as she put her hands up to her face specifically,her lips. _Oh no!I'm engaged!How could my parents do this to me!Who am I going to marry! _Visions of a young man wearing expensive clothing and herself wearing an elegant wedding gown looking sad behind the veil,the man's features were shadowed,along with everyone else's,even her parents. "Excuse me,...." a specialist bumped against her,knocking her out of her 'dream' or rather 'nightmare',she quickly grabbed Arune Saladin by the shoulders and after calming herself down."Who am I engaged to ?"

Saladin was about to reveal the identity of her fiancé,when a moan came from a nearby makeshift tent."Huh ?Who's in there ?"Reina let go of Saladin as they both proceeded to the entrance of the tent. When she opened the flap of the tent she saw a sickening sight,more than two dozen specialists were laying in bed,with severe injuries. "As you can see,although we won the battle,they were unfortunate to have taken the full brunt of the enemy's attack." a specialist had approached them as he gestured to the wounded,some of them kept moaning and whispering something about an intense burning sensation in their body,while a few who were the most unfortunate had bits of flesh stripped from the bone along with high-degree burns. Reina wanted to scream but she held it all in and asked the specialist.

"Is there anything I could do to help them ?" the specialist sighed and turned left and picked up a tome that was opened on a specific page from an empty bed. "Unless you can get the Dragon Weed(3),then they will experience intense pain until they die,from my calculations.....they have less than 2 days to live...." the specialist put the tome away as he returned to attend to his patients,believing that Reina would give up but... "Where can I find Dragon Weeds!" the specialist was surprised at her enthusiasm and said, "I don't know but I do know this,only the Great Dragons know the location of the rare herb,as far as I know,their now flying towards the direction of the Wild lands...which as you should know has very limited magical essence,so unless you know how to handle a sword properly,you'll be monster chow in no time." the specialist was immediately slapped in the face,not by a hand but the flat side of a small energy saber which was wielded by Reina, "I know how to hold my own in a fight..." the specialist gulped as the tip of the blade was inches from his throat and sighed in relief as the weapon was de-activated.

"Alright,with Headmaster Saladin's permission,we'll form a small party of other specialists to accompany you." Saladin nodded in agreement as Reina put the sword handle into one of the pouches of her belt,she also grabbed the tome as she casted a spell for it to shrink so it could be put away into the pouches. "Alright,you got 48 hours to find the herb. A drop ship will be ready in half an hour,so get some supplies from one of the armories." Reina had left the tent before he could finish as Reina had already been to the armory a while ago.

After a while,a thought occurred, _Oh no!I forgot to get the answer about my engagement! _Reina just sighed and walked towards the armories at a slower pace with a disappointed look on her face.(A.N:As to the reason why Reina nearly decapitated the guy,wouldn't you feel angry if someone mocked you and your abilities.)

* * *

(Adquistes,Bar)

Cliff was drinking a mug of 'Nectar Beer'(4),the bartender said that it has the sweet taste of alcohol but didn't had the bad side-effect of ending up in a drunken stupor,Cliff had already downed his twelfth glass when Fayt came and sat down beside his friend and let out a sigh that sounded like like a wolf howling, "What's eatin' at you ?" Cliff asked with a puzzled look on his face. "Two things.....one:Maria.....two:I've got no proper info on how to get our job done faster......the info I got are totally useless...." Fayt slammed his face down onto the bar-table,the bartender came up to Fayt,the bartender was a prim-looking man in his late fifties with light-brown hair with strands of silver in it,giving him a look of a kind grandfather. "What's wrong young man,away from your wife ?....Well I can't help you there but I can help you with information that you need." Fayt's face instantly lit up with happiness. "Really!Thank you sir!You have no idea how grateful I am!" Fayt had unintentionally earned the attention of the patrons of the bar. "Nothing to see here folks,back to your drinks..." the patrons just returned to their drinks,ignoring the conversation.

"One,don't shout...two,don't call me sir...it makes me feel my age if you know what I mean...alrighty then,tell me what you want to know. By the way,call me Pops." Pops started cleaning an empty glass,while trying to seem inconspicuous. "Well....we want to know how to get a fast transport to the next town and to know the identity of the top people around these parts...you know...your leaders.." Pops' eyebrows furrowed before he snickered. "You're not from around the Magic Dimension,are you ?" Fayt became pale and in his mind.... _Crap!Our cover is blown! _"...then again,we did get visitors a few years ago who knew nothing about the Magic Dimension more than you do....they all came in a flash,one of them was from a large silver ship....the Aquaelie was the name of it,a Mr Olsen Wittcomb was the captain....he's now the head of a large company,Galactical Enterprise." Cliff spewed out his drink while Fayt was flabbergasted at the new piece of information. "....He...he's alive..the commodore is alive...." Pops just continued cleaning the beer-mugs, "Ahh..now that you mentioned it,Mr Wittcomb did mention that he was a commodore....are you his friends,he did said that he helped a group led by a youngster to save their universe....Say are you Fayt Leingod ?" Pops said Fayt's name in a whisper.

Fayt nodded,getting nervous at Pops' questions, "....Umm...do you know where we can get in touch with Mr Wittcomb ?" Pops just sighed and gave Fayt a piece of paper, "What's this ?" Cliff got out of his seat and started sneaking away. "Well....to put it bluntly,it's the bill for the drinks your friend had,200 Magix-Credit to be exact...." Fayt just pulled out the bag that the guards gave him and gave Pops twenty 10 Credit coins. "Guess your friend didn't want you to get angry...but you're calm...by the way,here's the directions to Galactical Enterprise,it's right here in the city." Pops handed Fayt another piece of paper,showing the map of the city along with the directions drawn out. "Thanks Pops." When Fayt left the bar,a crash came from just outside. Apparently,Fayt had crashed into Albel who was carrying a package of antique swords which he had traded for with the wolf fang he had. "Fool!What are you doing!" Albel was threatening to punch Fayt but let go when Cliff grabbed Albel by the scruff of his neck like a little boy quite easily with his Klausian strength. "Albel stop it,'whispers' remember,our mission needs us to cooperate,even if it means putting up with each other's faults." Albel reluctantly calmed down and Cliff let him down but the moment Albel touched the ground,he punched Cliff right in the gut with his normal hand. "What was that for!" Cliff readied his fists while Albel just rubbed his hands from hitting Cliff so hard. "Believe me maggot!....I did it for your own good."

Suddenly a great shadow passed by,everybody looked into the sky and saw an amazing sight,several gigantic dragons flew overhead. "What was that ?" "Those were Great Dragons,weren't they ?" "Yeah I heard about those." while the crowds of people,Fayt grabbed Cliff and Albel grabbed them and whispered, "Here's our chance to sneak off." both his friends nodded as they proceeded to sneak away but a hand latched onto Fayt's shoulder which scared the heck out of him but to his relief,it was only Izak, "Sir,I have found information about obtaining transport from a place called Galactical Enterprise and some of these..." Izak handed Fayt a small chest that fitted in the palm of his hand but Fayt quickly put it into his belt satchel, "An elderly woman gave it to me as a reward for saving her cat...." Izak appeared to have felt some sort of emotion,actual emotion but he was a machine and machines were incapable of feelings but Fayt just shook it off, "Izak,follow me...we may have found out that Commodore Wittcomb is still alive." Izak remained emotionless and seemed to be processing the information that his superior just gave him, "Affirmative,please lead the way." Fayt saw a ladder leading to the rooftops and gestured to his companions to climb it so as to speed up their pace. "Hey did you see that,I thought I just saw some people jumping across the rooftops.." but nobody heard that person as they were distracted by the gigantic dragons flying above them to care what he said.

* * *

(Diplo II,Sickbay)

Jake was monitoring the health parameters of the other survivors that were with his uncle,he suddenly heard a noise behind him and whipped out his gun and was startled to see Cecille sprawled on the floor with a frightened look on her face and thanks to the room's low amount of gravity since the battle between Striker against the three 'enemy' cruisers had damaged the gravity generator,two cups of coffee floated in midair,although the gravity was low,it still had the effect to make a person fall down keep them there and Cecille was no exception but unfortunately for Jake,she was in a.....'erotic' pose as her skirt revealed a bit of her undergarments and relying on reflex,Cecille quickly slapped Jake right on the cheek and a loud sound was heard as Jake crashed onto the floor,releasing the gun as his head hit the wall,rendering him stunned as the wound on his head reopened.

"Hmph take that!......Oh no!What have I done!" Cecille had realized that she just hurt her commanding officer,she quickly rushed to Jake's side. "Sir...sir,wake up....Jake,Jake wake up,wake...up..." Cecille panicked when she removed her hands from Jake's head,she saw blood stained on her hands,Jake's blood. "Oh no!Oh no!I killed him!...I can't take this......." Cecille had fainted and collapsed into Jake's arms.

Moments later,Jake's eyes fluttered as he recovered from his unconsciousness state and saw Cecille sleeping on his arms and drops of blood dripped from his head and onto Cecille's face which was already stained with blood, "Cecille ?....Wake up.....ugh..why do I feel so dizzy ?" Jake felt the blood dripping down his face, "Better clean this up..." Jake got up while carrying the sleeping girl in his arms which was easier in the weaker gravity. "....Jake...." Cecille muttered before continuing her slumber. "Just great...she's fallen for me...(sighs)how I wish that I was born ugly." but a deep and familiar voice answered for him. "Well,now if that had happened,you'll still be pestered by girls anyway." Jake turned around to see his uncle,Andrew Heinmann wide awake with a smug look on his face,so as to humor his uncle for a bit,Jake retorted "And why's that,you 'old goat'...." Jake didn't pay any attention to his uncle's 'comeback' as he treated his wounds while washing away the blood on himself as well as the ones that stained on Cecille's face.

"Well you'll got plenty of suitors already,so why not add her to the list then..." at this Jake gave his uncle a cold glare but his uncle was unfazed,immune as per say to Jake's ghoulish glare. "Calm down boy...your parents told me in their will to try and find you....a suitable girl for you....it's just...that." Andrew grew silent as he remembered the day he saw Jake as a child wandering in the house of the incident,covered in the killer's blood,with a glazed look on his face,he never knew what went through the boy's mind even to this day. "Commander,please get dressed in your uniform." Jake had finished his task of cleaning Cecille up and was already back to his anti-social state. "Why..." Andrew asked as his nephew tossed him his uniform. "Because sir,under the president's orders,you are to return to Earth and await further orders along with the other survivors that were with you.....I'll be taking charge of the mission now."

Jake exited the room before his uncle could complain,leaving a sleeping on one of the empty medical beds. "Oh well,better add her to the top of the list to keep her hopes up." Andrew pulled out a PDA from the front pocket of his uniform and added Cecille's name to a long list of other women,most of which have already been rejected. "Hope none of them get their hands on this list,or come here for that matter." "Indeed commander." Andrew turned around to see some of his officers already awake. "I heard the entire thing sir,so shall we wake up the others to prepare for our departure." Andrew nodded as he put away the PDA and grabbed a stim pack(5) and proceeded to literally force the sleeping officers out of slumber.

* * *

(Somewhere at King's Cross)

Dianovas was standing upon the branch of a tall tree,giving him full view of the duel between Morak and that specialist, "Hmm,he shows promise....but his mind is in turmoil....he's too unstable to recruit.... What's this ?" Dianovas had set his eyes on a lone specialist charging through on a hover-cycle,slaying everything that got in his way through means of prowess of his sword and magic.

"So he's the one who wields the Dragon Fire...he proves troublesome,it's best that he's slowed down....." Dianovas pulled out a small dagger that gleamed in the light and he created a symbol in the air and threw the dagger through the center of it but it vanished the moment it passed the symbol,Dianovas just smirked as he began jumping from branch to branch heading towards the direction of the specialist that was defeating his foes one after another,trying to reach his destination...at least until his Space-Binder's engine started malfunctioning and began giving off sparks and smoke, "Damn!It's gonna explode!" Argus turned his vehicle toward the hordes of enemy 'soldiers'in front of him,intending to take them down with a bang...a really big bang!

(Meanwhile,King's Cross Battlefield,Sera's group)

"Hiya!"Sera yelled as she reeled in another monster with her whip and clawed it to pieces but the pieces turn into larvae and they kept forming more and more enemies for her to face,the same went for her other team members,with each foe they defeat two more takes their place,eventually one by one the specialists went down until it left only Sera and four others, "Instructor,what should we do....we're outnumbered..." one of the specialists shouted as he swung his sword towards a Juggernaut but faltered and was almost killed by it if it weren't destroyed as Rylon's team started fired their weapons,effectively destroying several numbers of the monsters ,caring not to hit any allies.

"Sanders!Get your team to safety!We'll clear a path!" Rylon yelled through the tiny monitor on Sera's transmitter-watch. Sera replied to Rylon while trying to evade the monster's attacks "But what about Argus and Trevor!Are we going to leave them behind!" Sera heard a scream as she saw one of her team members gone from her sights but saw the source as the 'missing' member was technically being 'dogpiled' by several Beast Troopers,but fortunately he was saved when Rylon fired a small blast at the pile,reducing it's mass,enabling the trapped specialist to escape. "Sanders!Give the order now!You've got no chance beating them!Now give the order!"

Sera reluctantly gave out the order, "All specialists that can still move,help your incapacitated team members and retreat back to the school,Head Instructor Ortedus will clear a path for us!Retreat now!"Sera quickly changed her weapons to blasters and started giving cover fire while the others helped the ones that were knocked out towards the WindRiders that were undamaged,she heard gunfire behind her knowing that it's just Rylon clearing a path but something unexpected happened,the enemy just stopped attacking and started retreating, _What the ?Why are they retreating...unless....Argus!..._ Reina rushed towards the nearest WindRider and started the engine but before she could go,She fell against the dashboard as she felt a sting in her neck,after that her world went dark,in the air,Rylon had his cockpit opened with a tranquilizer gun in his hands, "I'm sorry Sera....Alright!Everyone move out !" the WindRider that Sera was on automatically started up and followed the others,leaving two of their best specialists behind enemy lines.

(Moments earlier,King's Cross,Trevor's duel against Morak)

The fight between Trevor and Morak in his demonic form has already intensified to the extent that their blows created shockwaves that vibrated the immediate area,but as the fight dragged on,Trevor's power began to wane as his fire sword started growing weaker by the minute until Morak struck him with an underhanded sucker punch to Trevor's gut,causing him to gasp in pain as he coughed up blood, "Done already ?...You're a pathetic opponent whose not even worthy to use a sword on..."

Morak started laughing mockingly at the coughing specialist,the laughter only served as fuel for Trevor's growing rage causing him to go berserk. "Rraahhhhhh!" the originally dying flame that was Trevor's flame sword immediately grew tripled it's size as the berserk Trevor charged blindly a the cackling demon who simply threw away his sword and his claws/nails grew thicker and longer and used them to easily parry Trevor's powerful but clumsy attacks.

"You are getting on my nerves human....time to end this!" Morak made a grab for Trevor's neck and threw him right into a large tree which fell over when he crashed into the tree. As Morak reverted to his human disguise,he retrieved his weapon and started making his way towards his opponent's unconscious body with a malicious look in his eyes. "I'm going to enjoy this...."

* * *

Author's note:As for the details of my offer,if any of you want to be in my story,here are the details.  
Send over the name you wish to have,along with physical description:  
Eye-colour:?  
Hair-colour:?  
Skin-tone:?  
Height:?  
Type of body build:?  
And of course the gender:?(oh yeah and the outfits you would like but I may change it)  
Next is the type of personality,but I must warn you...I make the final decision so I might tweak a bit with your character to fit into the story and your character may appear as either a villain or a party member of Argus' team(your choice,but I still have the final say)or just a neutral if you wish to be in the story,tell me in your reviews or just PM me.

Author's explanation:  
1.)Beast Troopers:In short,imagine a combination of Wolf mixed together with the medium sized monsters from the Army of Decay(remember from the 1st season)

2.)Whip-glove and Claw combo:as the words describes it,a combination of a laser-string glove on one hand and the energy claw in the other,the technique used is unorthodox but effective by reeling in the enemy with the strings and ripping them to shreds with the claws.

3.)Dragon Weed:A rare herb that only exists in a...oops,almost gave away a spoiler...special place of which only the Great Dragons know of,the herb itself can heal any wounds that suffers from heat-induced pain or any general types of injuries,a very potent healing item to have.

4.)Nectar Beer:a type of drink that has the sweet taste of alcohol mixed with the aromatic tang of flower nectar,the beer itself is actually a mix of real alcohol with the nectar of flowers created by magic which negates the side-effects of getting drunk.

5.)Stim-Pack(took it out of Star-Craft):A type of stimulant which acts as a sort of power booster when injected into the bloodstream as it increases the adrenaline output. It also acts as a 'wake up' caller as the increased adrenaline forces the the person sleeping to automatically wake up.

Well,that's about it for now. This is Argus456 signing off.


	13. Chapter 12

Author's notes:I guess my offer received no applications but it still stands,I guess some readers either ignore the notes or just doesn't want to be in it. Oh well,let the story begin(p.s:thanks for reading)  
Disclaimer:I don't own anything that's related in any way to Winx Club and/or Star Ocean:Till the End of Time

* * *

(Time Tunnel,Thomas Leingod)

Tom was screaming at the top of his lungs as he was tossed about in a multi-colored swirling vortex. Although while he was screaming,he didn't notice that he had lost one of two rucksacks which contained some his food and all his medicine into a time-hole(1) leaving it in a another time and place. After Tom got tired of screaming his head off as regained as much of his composure as possible and set his attention on the watch, "Now how am I suppose to get out of here....what the Gagh!" the straps of his remaining rucksack jerked him backwards. "What in the world is going on....its your fault!" Tom started hitting the Time-watch but all it earn him was a bruised hand as he found out the hard way that the watch was coated in pure iron, "What am I doing!I must be going crazy...putting the blame of my woes on this inanimate object!" while Tom was contemplating his mental health,he was dragged into another time-hole.

The next thing he knew was him falling to the ground. "Ooohhh..what happened ?" a bell chime from the Time-watch answered his question as Tom looked into the little time keeper, 70 S.D. "Hey man...are you alright..." Tom turn to see two people,one was a young man and with him was an even younger girl, "Fayt....is he alright ?" the girl addressed the boy who Tom just noticed had blue hair. "I...I..I..Where am I ?" Tom also noticed that 'Fayt' was wearing a white blazer with a blue shirt underneath along with a pair of blue trousers,the girl wore almost the exact same style as the boy's but had a plaid skirt that reached her knees and the whole outfit was blue. "Well first thing off,you're at our school,the Bachtein University of Science....this is my friend Sophia Esteed and I'm Fayt Leingod,star-player on the basketball team." Fayt had a proud look on his face as he pronounced his 'fame',until his was hit over the head by Sophia "Oww!What hit me....Sophia!What you hit me for..." Sophia had a cheeky expression as she just giggled at her friend's expense.

"Gee,Fayt...you mention your achievements alright...but what about your flaws...homework,unfinished most of the time and every time your bored,you come begging me to go with you as a pretend girlfriend to the nightclub-" Fayt covered Sophia's mouth before so said anything more personal, "Okay,okay I get it I'm sorry Sophia....geez,must be that time of the month again.." Fayt whispered the last part so his friend could hear it. "Uhh...can any of you two tell me if you seen someone named Henry Leingod ?" Tom hoped that Fayt Leingod was a descendant of his brother. "Leingod ?...Last time I checked,my family is the only one with that name....did Johnson and the guys put you up to this...Johnson!I know your out there,come on out!The jigs up!....." but nobody came out,even though the 'forest' they were in was a perfect place for hiding.

"Excuse me but you haven't answered my question,have you or have you not seen my father,Henry Leingod ?" Tom was getting impatient albeit slightly amused. "Sorry about that...why don't you come with us,I'm sure dad's still around the campus,come on let's go." Fayt lead the way as he ran up a small hill,which took the tree to a small path that lead to the school building that Tom saw in amazement was huge and had several flying machines well flying around the huge structure. "Wow!This is amazing!" Fayt and Sophia gave Tom a puzzled look, "What,haven't you seen buildings with hovercars flying around it before ?" Tom shook his head as he continued admiring the view,unknowingly being pulled along by the automated-walkway

* * *

(Back in the present,Adquistes,rooftops)

"According to the map and the shortcuts we took,the Galactical Enterprise's headquarter building should be around here....but I don't see it anywhere..." Fayt said while he kept looking through the map over and over until Izak tapped him on the shoulder and pointed ahead. "Whoa!...Is that what I think it is ?" Cliff nodded as the group minus Izak gaped at the structure of where the commodore had established his business. The entire building looked like a gigantic ship ready for launch,specifically the Aquaelie but it seemed larger and as they had just saw,the building was embedded into the ground so it couldn't be a ship. "Well...shall we go ?"

Fayt had found a sturdy pole on the side of the building they were standing on and slid down it and so did the others,except for Izak who just simply jumped off the roof and landed gracefully onto the ground,fortunately no one was around to see that but it left Fayt's surprised. "What is wrong sir,shouldn't we be looking for the commodore." Izak just walked towards the entrance. "Why in the hell did he do that ?" "Heh,isn't he referred to as an 'it' rather than a 'he'....guess maggots can't tell the difference." Cliff was about to pounce Albel when several small symbols appeared all over Cliff's hair as well as Albel's claw-arm, "Stop it you two or else one of you is going to be bald and the other without their limb." Fayt's eyes were glowing which meant he was serious, "O...ok..ok,we'll stop just don't use your powers,going bald is good enough for me but you might overdo it and fry my brains...."

Albel just smirked and egged on Fayt as he dared him, "I dare you to destroy my arm,I can always replace it fool!" Fayt then followed through with the dare as Albel's metal limb started disintegrating but stopped midway,leaving the metal limb useless as Fayt had disconnected the insides. "You said you could replace it right ?" Fayt snickered as he entered the building along with Cliff who was laughing on the inside,leaving Albel rummaging through his bag for spare 'arms', "Damn!Where did I put them,I swore I brought more than just this Iron Gauntlet...might as well use it then." Albel winced as he reconnected the nerve endings to his arm and flexed the prosthetics's claw-like fingers. He quickly put away the damaged arm and rushed towards the entrance muttering something about 'getting back at them'

* * *

(Alfea,Hallway)

Rosa was chasing after Kiko who was flying about in the air until he disappeared through a certain painting but the young girl didn't see the little bunny go through it as she was a little bit behind, "Ooooh!Kiko where are you ?....huh....a pixie...Seahorse ?" The small creature seemed a little lost before it kept on flying. "Never saw one personally but maybe he knows where I can find Kiko....and Argus for that matter..." Rosa pounced onto the little pixie pet but it got away flying towards the entrance of a hallway that wasn't there a moment ago but Rosa chased it nonetheless but somehow got lost, "Where am I this isn't part of the school....Oh!I've read about this before,secret passages that magically appear at random moments...now if I remember correctly....each painting is actually a doorway...so if I..." Rosa felt around a painting until she grabbed a doorknob and opened it to see a circular room filled to the brim with shelves upon shelves of books.

"So many books,it has almost as many books in the castle archives..." she was surprised when a blue and white blur came up to her face "What do you mean almost!" a pixie just flew up to her face with an annoyed expression, "Gagh!...You must be Concorda,the keeper of the Alfea Archives of Magic..." Rosa saw that Concorda wore the exact same outfit as the one in a photo album she found in the archives,purplish-blue gown and the bizarre headpiece. "Yes,you're right and you are Rosa Erakliones,sister to Argus Erakliones of the Eraklion Royal Family,and by what proof do you claim that the archives of Eraklion is larger than Alfea's ?" Rosa giggled then started to laugh out loud, "No,no,no,what I meant was that the Archives of Eraklion seem larger but it was just total speculation."

"I see..sorry for the misunderstanding dear,it's just that I pride myself on the knowledge that the archives contain...Oh,where did my manners go,please sit down with me and have some tea Rosa dear." a comfy armchair appeared behind her as she sat down and then the little pixie seahorse along with a pixie frog came flying down with a teacup and saucer,then gave it to Rosa who saw Kiko flying about carrying a book, "What have you got there you little rascal..." Kiko dropped the book into Rosa's lap as flew elsewhere to play with Concorda's pixie friends. "Oh my,it appears that your friend found the book of Dragon Fire History,it is a special book that is never ending,it always updates itself as time passes...it contains detailed information about each and every protector of the Dragon Fire in each generation....but the odd thing is,new information concerning the new powers that somehow only Argus unlocked is off limits..." Rosa had found the page where Argus' profile was,it contained several embarrassing secrets of his along with other information that concerned her brother and minor details of the people he had encountered,but the moment the book told of a new power of the Dragon Fire,the book itself snapped shut and either unintentionally or not,when the book shut it pinched Rosa's skin really hard. "Oww!That book just bit me!" Concorda laughed softly,careful not to upset her guest. "Yes my dear,that book has many ways to keep that particular piece of information from prying eyes,here are some of the methods I tried...

_

* * *

(Flashback)_

_"I tried to keep it open by latching the covers to the table but the book literally snapped the table in two..." images of Concorda's wings caught between the pages of the book as she barely escaped being smashed._

_"I asked my pixie friends to use their combine magical powers to hold it open but.... it end on a painful note" images of Concorda trying to safely pull out Livy and Zing who were sandwiched in the book,Zing was trying to 'fight' her way out by using brute force but all it did was that it got her really tired._

_"And on one occasion,I tried become part of the book to peek at the 'forbidden' information and I ran into unwanted guests," images of Concorda running away from several monsters formed from the letters of the books,screaming all the way to the exit._

_"...another was when I tried to rip out the page with the information but the book retaliated,...literally.." images of Concorda using magic to fend of the books attacks which consisted of summoning flying books that looked like bats(the classics),blasts of magical energy that covered anything it hit with ink and strangest of all,folding blank sheets of paper into airplanes which __started firing squirts of ink,which created big splotches of ink in its wake._

_(End of Fashback series)_

* * *

"After that last attempt,I had to put it away...until I find a method for seeing that information....safely of course.." Concorda had finished her tea by the time she finished her 'story' "I suggest you heed my advice and leave that book alone.." while Concorda looked away,Rosa casted a spell in whispers that shrunk the book to a small size that it could fit in between her fingers.

"Okay...I guess I'll be going now,come on Kiko let's get you some lunch...oh and thanks for the tea..bye!" Rosa had run off with Kiko flying behind. "Bye....guess her curiosity got to her...maybe she'll find a way to unlock that book." Concorda used her magic to close the door and continued her hobby of reading but suddenly something flew right through the skylight which was opened and landed on Concorda,it was Livy. "Hi there Concorda!You have mail...."

* * *

(King's Cross,Fiery Crater)

A smoking crater had just been created a while ago by the explosion of a Space-Binder and several Beast Troopers were closing in on the wreckage along with a few Juggernauts. All of a sudden,ten of the Beast Troopers were instantly destroyed as two boomerangs flew through the air and a shadow passed by,catching the projectiles before landing on the ground,it was Argus in his Rider-Armor,his face covered by his helmet. "I guess I'm on my own...huh...a dagger ?" Argus picked up a dagger that was stuck in the earth and was red-hot but his gloves protected him from the heat.

"So this is what caused my hover-cycle to malfunction..." while Argus was examining the alleged 'monkey wrench' for the destruction of his vehicle,a Juggernaut sneaked up behind him and was about to slam its massive fist at Argus until the last moment when Argus shouted out "Rider-Armor!Dispatch!" his armor instantly retracted into a small disc which latched unto the Juggernaut and took form of the armor but the size was to small so it crushed the Juggernaut under the immense pressure,leaving Argus in his uniform and only the helmet for protection. "Guess that's one way to use an armor..." Argus called for two swords and his armbands did as it's owner willed. "Perfect!Time to let loose and rumble...." Argus charged towards the other Beast Troopers that surrounded him, each one of them tried retaliating but all of their attacks were parried and deflected,until one lucky strike hit Argus square in the head,shattering the helmet but left Argus completely unscathed.

"Now that your turn's over....it's mine now..." Argus' expression suddenly turned deadly serious before he shredded the Juggernauts in front of him to pieces with numerous slashes. "Who's next!" about twenty more Beast Troopers and thirty other 'soldiers' surrounded the lone specialist who just smirked and threw his swords in two directions which impaled two 'soldiers' each,he quickly dashed towards one of the swords and pulled it out of the pile of larvae and delivered a circular slash,destroying nearby enemies and slowly made his way through the throngs of monsters and the so-called 'humans',fighting all the way towards his objective.

"This is getting ridiculous!" Argus yelled as he stabbed his weapon into the earth and and used it as a pole as he sent several 'soldiers' flying as he swiftly kicked them hard in the chests before he let go and the armbands sprouted claws as he ran and cut down anything that got in his way but he was quickly surrounded again but he was then intercepted by more than enough Beast Troopers and Juggernauts to form a small private army. "Heh....finally...a challenge..." the claws retracted back into the armbands and it released of what looked like launch-tubes and it fired off several weapon-handles which immediately activated before stabbing themselves into the ground. All Argus had was a broadsword which was already plenty for him to faced the Army of Decay. "Let's do this....Rraahhhh!" Argus let loose another battle-cry that was louder than before as he began a his own private 'war'

* * *

(King's Cross,Trevor's location)

"Gaaaaggghhhh...!" Trevor screamed as he was again given an uppercut to his gut by Morak who was wearing spike gauntlets,he had a sadistic smile on his face as he tortured his 'prey'. "Come now....scream,beg me for mercy...no better yet..beg me to end your pathetic life hahahaha!" Morak's cackling was immediately stopped when Trevor delivered an uppercut to his jaw. "That's what you get when you threaten my vessel!" Trevor spoke in two voices,one was his own while the other was the Fire Knight's but the latter was in control, "Long time no see...Morak!..."although Trevor's body was injured,the Fire Knight's powers canceled out the pain but the wounds were still there nonetheless. "You!...Aiden...you're alive!" Trevor launched a fireball at Morak, "I am not Aiden....but merely a soul that's sharing this young man's body....I was the temple guard you killed 200 years ago!"

Morak cringed at the booming voice of Trevor's other self. "I see...that you're still mad about you were killed by me...hehehe." Morak was already in his demon form when Trevor summoned out the Fire Sword but the sword disappeared after that when Trevor collapsed,the Fire Knight lost control at the last moment as Trevor's mind recaptured control of the situation. "...I..see....my bouts of memory..loss was no...coincidence." Trevor started chanting a spell, "What is that spell..." Morak eyed the runic designs of the symbols that appeared on the ground as he brandished his deadly claws. "....by the powers of the Fire Lord,Efreet.....purge me of thy servant from my body...argh!" Trevor started coughing up blood as he blacked out and ended up in his mind or at least,a representation of it,a large field of grass and there was the Fire Knight,standing there in front of him.

"I see that you've lost consciousness...do you know why ?" Trevor shook his head "I see...let me tell-no,show you a story..." with a wave of his,the scenery changed to that of a temple in a forest,the temple looked decrepit,covered with red-vines the only thing that supported the entrance were the vines that although looked frail were exceptionally sturdy. "Come,let's go in...." Trevor followed the knight into the temple and gasped at the sight inside,everything was still in perfect condition as if people were still living here and it did,several monks dressed in red robes were tending to the needs of a woman who was in labor,giving birth. Trevor quickly hid behind a pillar,but the Fire Knight simply laughed, "Don't worry,they're just images of the past,...your past." Trevor came out of his hiding place as he watched the event happening,it seemed so real but each time he tried to touched someone,he passed through them like a ghost.

"Aaaahhhh!..."the pregnant woman screamed as she gave birth to a baby but there was something wrong,the baby didn't cry as if it was sleeping. The woman upon Trevor's closer inspection... "Mom!?" indeed,the woman was Trevor's mother,she looked like a female version of her son only that her eye's were purplish-gray instead of his own blue eyes. "Such an adorable child,he's sleeping...." ignorant of her child's condition,she continued cooing baby only did she notice that the baby was dead when she kissed the baby's cold forehead. With realization of her child's passing,she ran up the inner steps holding her dead baby,the monks chased after her to stop her from doing anything drastic. Trevor was shaking and he didn't know why, "Fire Knight....wh...who..who was that child...that my mother was...holding..." Trevor had a good guess who it was but he hoped that the knight's answer would say otherwise but that wasn't the case. "That child...Trevor Pyris...was you..." Trevor was shocked as his worst fear was confirmed. "Then...why am I...." he reeled back as he realized that the baby in his mother's arms was him, "Still alive ?Come,let's follow your mother and see the answer for yourself.."

Trevor and the Fire Knight walked up the stairs and heard a prayer that was full of sorrow and despair. "Oh Efreet!Tell me!Why have the gods need to be so cruel as to take away my child's life!Please!Give him back to me!I beg of you...."Trevor's mother broke down sobbing,all the while holding her baby. "...Mother..." Trevor moved towards the trembling figure that was his mother but all he managed to do was fall through his mother's body and was scared out of his wits to see himself,dead stillborn. "I know!I know what to do!I'll offer my own life!Just please bring back my baby!" the woman has gone hysterical and is teetering on the edge of madness until one of the statues that was of the Fire Knight came to life, "There is no need for that,Lord Efreet is not that kind of deity....." the woman was in awe at the armored knight's appearance, "Have Efreet sent you here...." "No,I come here of my own accord...to help your son....if you wish." she jumped at the chance and repeated the word 'yes' so many times that her mouth grew parch.

The Fire Knight remained silent before he nodded "..I see but heed this warning,what I'm going to do is fuse myself so as to recover and heal your son's spirit,but it'll take time to heal a spirit that has been recovered so its best not to tell your son about me,the reason for the secrecy is that your son may try purging me out before he's completely healed. Do you understand ?" "...Yes...but should he discover you and purges himself of you...what would happen ?" silence reigned until the knight finally spoke "Should he do so,and if it was before the complete healing of his spirit....he'll die...." '_Die!?' _Trevor's mind caved in on him as he discovered the truth

'_Everything that I've achieved,my victories,my accomplishments,my...my incredible strength.....all obtained through the Fire Knight's powers. Have all that I did been for nothing!' _Suddenly another entity entered his subconscious,the Fire Knight _No,I have never helped you in anyway,I was healing you all that time...you did those things on your own,don't you remember....you were raised at the temple for the first eight years of your life but the temple fell into ruins as the monks started falling ill to an unknown illness and died leaving only you and your mother and you alive,you moved to Magix to continue to live as.....allowing you to live your life unburdened by this knowledge ._ These words echoed through Trevor's mind as he slipped back into consciousness and found himself wielding the Fire Knight's weapon and Morak was on the ground breathing heavily with severe bleeding cuts all over his body.

(10 Minutes earlier)

When Trevor fainted,Morak moved in for the killing blow until Trevor shot up with the Fire Sword in hand, "What the!...His eyes!" Trevor's eyes were blank white showing that he was still unconscious and yet he was preparing to fight and saw a strange aura surrounding the semi-conscious warrior.

When Morak let his guard down,believing that it was just a reflex...Trevor disappeared in an instant and the demon received several heat-induced slashes all over his body before collapsing onto the ground and before he could recover,Trevor reappeared and vanished once more and delivered Morak blow after blow until Morak managed to get in a lucky hit and sent his opponent sliding only a few inches and at that moment,he had regained consciousness._  
_

* * *

(Present)

"...This isn't....over.....we'll finish....what we started!" Morak opened a dark portal on the ground and dropped into it and at the same time,the wounds that were inflicted on him during his 'torture' caught up to him and once again lost consciousness. The Fire Sword dispersed into particles of energy which healed most of Trevor's wounds.

* * *

(Skies near Wildland)

The Great Dragons were flying majestically in the skies and in hot pursuit of these creatures was a single dropship,when the dropship was close behind one,a hatch opened and out flew Reina in her fairy form(as I'm quite lazy right now,imagine Bloom's form only in crimson red with orange fringes) towards the dragon who slowed down just slightly so as to hear what the girl had to say, "What do you want,human." Reina struggled to keep up but her wings kept getting swept up by the beat of the dragon's wings,the dragon noticed this and bellowed out "Follow me to the ground where we can speak easily." Reina quickly flew towards the waiting dropship but halfway through,they had entered the Wildland's region which immediately drained away her magical essence,forcing her to change back and scream as she plummeted towards the ground.

"Aaaaahhhh...Oof!" Reina was saved when the dragon spoke to her earlier dived and used his back to cushion Reina's fall. "Thank you...." The Great Dragon grunted in response as he flew to a clearing where his clan were also landing at. Reina gently got off her rescuer's back, "Now,human....as for the question:What do you want with me and my brethren...?" Reina was hesitant as she was intimidated by the immense size of the Great Dragons that were now grazing in the clearing. "If your wondering,contrary to common belief,we dragons are omnivores but we prefer vegetation to meat anytime." Reina sighed in relief and asked her request but she started with the explanation of the wounded specialists.

(After a while)

"....and you see the reason why we came here was to ask for the location of Dragon Weed....." a specialist passed her a canteen and she drank some of its content before handing it back to its owner. Reina was expecting a positive reply as each dragon were seemingly nodding their heads as they conversed in their draconic language,as the dragon that had saved Reina approached her, "My clan has discussed the matter and my answer is no..."Reina was shocked at the unexpected reply. "...but I can take you there,along with your escorts on the back of my brethren of course but heed this warning,the herb your looking for is guarded by a fierce creature that has sheltered there ever since the day the Trix failed two thousand years ago,I believe its one of those what you humans call 'Juggernauts' of the Army of Decay my ancestors have fought such creatures before and their not to be trifled with..."

One of the specialists stepped up and smirked, "Don't worry,we have the technology and skills to take these Juggernauts on." "Very well,please address me as Zian....as you could have guessed,I am the leader of the clan of Great Dragons." Reina seemed skeptical about Zian's name, "Were you given your name by a human by any chance ?" Zian chuckled as he,to Reina's and the specialist's surprise he had suddenly changed form to that of a human,with delicate pale skin,green hair and his eyes which were those of reptilian nature. He was clad in armor-like clothing that would be fit for a warrior-king. "Indeed my name was given to me....by my mother who mixed with the human,as you have just witnessed,the Great Dragons have the magical ability to shapeshift...please keep this a secret as it would prove...difficult for my kind to remain in solitude...." Reina nodded along with the others. "Good,come let's go..." Zian paused as he assumed his dragon form, "...please get on and hold on tight." but the specialists declined and said, "...Uhh...I think it would be better if we followed you in the dropship,right Miss Reina ?"

Reina huffed "You do what you like,I'm riding on Zian....geez for trained 'heroes' you are really dependent on your gadgets." their pride was wounded but they rushed to their craft but by the time they launched the dropship into the air,Zian and two other of his kind had already flown off quite a distance already, "Just great,alright guys...let's go!" the dropship quickly increased its speed,hopefully enough to keep up with the Reina who they were assigned to protect and Saladin's words _If any of you try to flirt with her,or let her get harmed in any way,I'll personally punish you...got it! _Their mission was crucial for the lives of their fellow specialists who are wounded and theirs should Reina get hurt.

* * *

(Diplo II,3rd Launch Bay)

The small shuttle that carried Commander Heinmann and officers had already blasted off to the Cruiser that will take them back to Earth. The only ones that were still there was Commander Jacob Cain and the ship's medical officer,Cecille Sanders  
who was suppose to monitor his conditions was looking longingly at her 'crush' who was busy giving out orders through a communicator that was linked to the ship's system. "Coporal Idonis,complete the repairs on the gravity generator..now!The crew's productivity depends on the gravity being restored."

Zeak's voice could be heard from the small device, "Geez,I know that your upset about me spreading stories of you and Sanders doing something kinky..Uh oh,should've kept my mouth shut." "You've WHAT!!" a crash was heard from the communicator as Zeak bumped into a bunch of scrap metal which buried Zeak,although the gravity was limited it still had enough hold to cause 'accidents'.Jake turned off the device and grabbed a nearby med-kit and saw Cecille,his heart skipped a beat, '_She's different somehow,she's more....noticeable...cute ?.... attractive?No!Must be the blood rushing in my head.' _Trevor put up his hand to his forehead which wasn't bandaged and rubbed it before he became drowsy and Cecille's training as a medic kicked in as she rushed towards her 'patient'.

"Gotcha'....whoa oh....too...heavy....oof." Cecille was now pinned down by Jake's weight and the fact that his face was an inch away from hers didn't make it any better,but she did feel 'comfortable' in their rather 'awkward' position but her moment of bliss was cut short when Jake recovered his senses and got up as well as pulling her up. "Forgive me for worrying you,I think I need to see about Coporal Idonis' condition..." but before Jake move one more step,he collapsed with his wounds once again opening and Cecille,now more level-headed than before called out to anyone nearby but no one answered her call. "Guess I have to do it here..." Cecille took the med-kit that was still in Jake's hands and took out the items needed to clean his wounds and close it up again but Cecille saw some blood dripping out of his mouth,fearing the worst she took out a tool from the med-kit,the medical-scanner. 'Body condition:Negative. Health:Deteriorating. Source of damage:Heart-puncture,and Brain-fluids leakage' the scanner bleeped indicating that it has turned off and Cecille was frantic as she quickly used Jake's communicator to call for help.

"Help!Someone,anybody help!The commander has a punctured heart and is possibly near death...please help!We're in the 3rd Launch Bay!" Cecille tried to be as calm as possible but she couldn't help it as she saw Jake desperately gasping for air while blood was coughed out. Fortunately,a team of medics came to his aid as they quickly set up a makeshift operating table,although their environment couldn't have supported the needs of a typical medical ward,the air was pure from the enviro-bugs(2)working their duties,with Cecille in her condition,the medics wanted to sedate her and had her escorted to her quarters but she took out a spare surgeon-coat and said, "Let's get this surgery started,and before you argue let me state that he is my patient and I'm going to be the one to help him!" the medics cringed at her tone and nodded as they completed the preparations. "Scapel!.....Physical Enhancer!..." Cecille started the operation and hoped that her training would pay off as she operates the surgery that could save her 'crush'....or fail and lose him. She breathed in deeply as she finished the incision into Jake's chest.

* * *

(Diplo I,Leingod Quarters)

Maria was tossing and turning in her sleep until she finally woke up with a scream and her hands outstretched in the air,only to grab nothing, "...Fayt...I don't know if your alright....but please come back to me in one piece...." Maria's words broke into sobs, "Maria ?You okay ?" the lights in the room was turned on and there stood in the doorway was Mirage,along with several other crew members who were in their pajamas and some who were couples like Lieber and Marietta were wearing robes,all of them had worried looks on them. "Maria...did you have a nightmare..." Mirage sat down on Maria's bedside trying to comfort the pregnant girl but she distanced herself away from the motherly figure.

"I..I... don't want to talk about it." Maria thought it would be the end of the conversation but the others entered the room and all of them sat on or near the King-sized bed, "Please leave me alone...." but they remained firm "Come on Maria,we know that your unhappy about Fayt leaving for a mission but we're still here...well I'm definitely am...Oww!"Lieber was hit on the head by Marietta as she reprimanded him for his poor choice of words,Maria giggled at their 'love spat' "Glad you've gotten more cheery....this feels like a slumber party.....hey I know,let's make Maria happy with a slumber party!" Peppita,despite being 18 already still held on to her child-like innocence which always seemed to cheer anyone up no matter what.

Altough some of the crew members were skeptical of the idea of a slumber party at their age but Sophia spoke up for them, "Alright,a slumber party it is...some of you go to my room and get all the plush and pillows here and no peeking in my diary got it ?" some of the newer male members of the crew were attracted to both Sophia and Peppita,had already rushed out of the room to carry out their whims, "...Okay,now that's taken care of,some of the girls will come with me to the cafeteria to cook up some snacks,come on Marietta let's go get the ingredients for my special 'Custard Surprise'....and bring your boyfriend along,we'll need some one strong to carry plenty of ingredients to make enough for everyone." Marietta followed Sophia out while pulling Lieber along by pinching his ears, "I'm going willingly okay,no need to pinch me in the ear..." Lieber whined as Marietta ignored his pleas.

In the middle of this 'fun' was Maria,now feeling better started giggling at least until she felt the bracelet on her wrist,the bracelet that Fayt gave her. "..Fayt..." Mirage saw this and pulled her into a motherly embrace. "Don't worry Maria,remember that big lunk-head Cliff is with him and Albel too....on second thought,lets just say that Cliff's with him and leave it at that." Maria began to feel better again and gasped as she saw the amount of plush and pillows being carried into the room,each person had at least four to five pillows or plush animals in their arms. "When did Sophia get these ?" Mirage suppressed a laugh and told Maria, "I guess Fayt didn't tell you,Sophia collected these kind of things some of them were from when she was 15,something about a cruise...what your're seeing here is just part of her collection." Maria was surprised that her husband kept a secret from her,a small one but a secret nonetheless but for a good reason as more pillows and plush kept coming until everyone had their own. "Hope everyone's hungry."

Within an hour,the room was filled with cheery decorations and just in time too as Sophia came in with a hover-cart filled with food that made everyone's mouth water,even Maria due to her pregnant state,she created a sandwich which got weirder the more filling she added, "Peanut-butter,jelly,cheese,pickles,onion rings,chili peppers,bacon strips,horse radish,hmm what else is there ahh." Maria made a grab for a scoop of custard and plopped it onto the top and started eating,fortunately she ate politely but her choice of filling left a few people feeling sick and drowned it out with pudding while a few curious others tried the same thing with disastrous results as they quickly drank away their water as the chili peppers along with the horse radish plus the combination of the other fillings created snack that was sweet,sour,salty,and really spicy.(too bad though,I wanted to add fire-breathing but hey,laws of physics)

The victims of the fiery sandwich were still guzzling water after their experience with as they had mentioned, "The Devil Sandwich,its as hot as hell." Marietta came in with two cakes,one in her hands and the other in Lieber's, "Speaking of devils,how about some Devil's Food Cake and Angel's Food Cake." Maria had already finished her sandwich along with a few other more normal snacks and she was still hungry but her manners and waistline kept her in check but she did have fun for the first time since her first date with Fayt. "Oomph!Hey watch it!" everyone was having a pillow fight,tempted to release her anger and frustration through fun was a temptation that she couldn't have resisted and grab her own pillow to join in the fray.

* * *

(Fortress of Light)

Injured Knights and Templars were lying all over the place,the towers were burning and some had collapsed. It was total pandemonium as several guardsmen were trying to heal their comrades with healing salves while a few were fighting off a massive group of Juggernauts that were being supported by Beast Troopers and 'soldiers' that kept coming out of a large portal of swirling darkness, "Where are these creatures coming from!" a templar yelled as he destroyed two Juggernauts with one attack with his lance as a knight parried a claw attack from a Beast Trooper and repelled it with a burst of chi energy. "I don't know but we must defend the fortress at all cos-" the knight's words were cut short when he and his comrades were hit by a massive blast of energy, "...Who...is that...ughh." the knight succumbs to his injuries and loses consciousness and two figures stepped out from the dark portal.

"Ronny,I believe that you overdid it a bit with your new invention." a young woman stood next to Ronand,the child-inventor who was carrying a large device which resembled a large rifle that was crackling with electricity, "Don't call me that!You know how I hate that pet-name!" for a moment of his anger,the child's voice sounded deeper like an adult but quickly changed back to a childish tone. "Oh I'm sorry but you look just so cute when your acting tough." Ronand had already left the woman behind and approached a fallen templar who was barely conscious, "You!Tell me where the Trix's remains are kept at!" "I...don't know what your talking about..urghh!" the templar was kicked by Ronand for his bold lie. "For attempting to delay my excavation team for the Trix's remains,all of you are to be Lord Kaleb's prisoners for your sentence....Celina,bring the device." Celina brought a gadget that looked similar to the one Ronand carried and fired off of what seemed to be bubbles which floated towards each and every templar,knight and guardsman encasing them in the bubble before disappearing in a pop,obviously sent to the dungeons of their lord's lair.

"Come Celina!We have an excavation to carry out!" Ronand,Celina and several dozens of Beast Troopers along with Juggernauts carried in heavy machines that were needed for the 'excavation' but they looked more like siege weapons than excavation machines and indeed they were when Ronand shouted out to a group that had finished setting up, "Fire!" the weapon fired a large blast of energy straight at a stone wall and it was obliterated in an instant before Ronand stepped into the gaping hole and smiled, "Bingo!Darcia's Gem!Alright,continue searching for the other two!" Ronand gazed at the gem that Darcy used to possessed and he became sinister as he saw that the mummified corpse of Darcy was intact. "This may prove very useful in my experiments." maniacal yet childish laughter was heard from the hole where Ronand entered and Celina just sighed as she instructed the 'excavation'.

* * *

Author's note:I know the names for the villains aren't original,that's why I need suggestions oh well at least I still have my health(and life)Alright,here are the explanations:

1)Time-hole:A tunnel that rips and tears a hole in the fabrics of time,allowing someone(Thomas Leingod)to enter it and end up somewhere else either in the future or the past depending on the circumstances as well as the medium used to go there.

2)Enviro-bugs:Despite its name,the 'bugs' are actually micro-sized 'fighters' that eliminate any and all harmful bacteria cleansing the air and maintaining the atmosphere and can be controlled remotely to change the room temperature,this is sort of similar to the ones shown in the game Xenosaga.

Well that's done,I would like to thank everybody that has read my story and asks that if you have any suggestions,please don't be shy and share them. This is Argus456 signing off.


	14. Chapter 13

Author's note:I guess there's still no one up for my offer,guess that should've been expected as my story is not that well known,but at least I still got my nice reviewers and readers,to all of you a big 'Thank you'.Now enough reader appreciation for now,now is time for the story to continue.

Disclaimer:I don't own anything that's related in any way to Winx Club,Star Ocean:Till the End of Time and bits and pieces of Xenosaga(you know what I mean)

* * *

(70 S.D,Bachtein University of Science)

The three teens were at the entrance of the school building,although Thomas was briefly informed of the history of what has happened since his time,but he didn't realize that practically everything was automated,even doors so as his upbringing dictated,he stepped aside and let Sophia enter first, "Ladies first,please Miss Sophia,enter as-waah!" Thomas immediately fell down when the door opened as he had tried to open it. Sophia giggled as Fayt helped the 'time-traveler' up. "I'm glad that chivalry isn't dead yet,thanks for being such a gentleman and for a reward..." Sophia gave a quick kiss on Thomas' cheek. "Uh..urr...I...I thank you for the..kiss...but I...umm" flustered and red-faced,Thomas was rendered,for a lack of better terms,mentally stunned(basically,his common sense is fried,bear with me).

"Ah!Fayt,Sophia!" a middle-aged brunette man approached the trio,he was wearing a lab coat and had a file folder in his arms. "Glad I caught up with you....and who are you young man ?" Thomas who was still somewhat stunned, just replied carelessly "I'm Thomas Leingod,son of Henry Leingod the 'Crackpot Wizard' although I believe that its an insult to my family honor!" the man's expression became stern, "How do you know that young man,that part of the Leingod history is shut away." Thomas quickly straightened himself up and bowed before the man, "I'm sorry sir for insulting you,please accept my humble apology." this attracted attention from a few students but Fayt shouted out, "Oh no!Class is starting!" and his plan was a success as all the students started running to class, "Hehe,it worked huh Sophia,what are you doing ?" Sophia was tugging Fayt by his sleeve "We're going to be late come on." Fayt chuckled at this as he stopped his friend from tearing his sleeve off "Sophia,that was a trick...oww!" Sophia kicked Fayt right in the shin,leaving him hopping about on one leg, "Hey where's Tom ?"

"Over here!" Tom was talking to the man who was Fayt's father,Robert Leingod,he was listening intently to Thomas' story. "...so you see,I'm traveling through time to search for my father but I've seemed to have got to the wrong place...and the wrong time line..." Robert Leingod inspected Thomas' expression carefully,trying to see any signs of lying, "You appear to be telling the truth but you could be a spy hired to dig up secrets by a shady company to blackmail me....I guess I'm getting paranoid,well at least show me some proof of your identity." Thomas quickly rummaged through his remaining rucksack and pulled out a tome which had a leather-hide cover and presented it to Dr. Leingod, "Hmmm...it seems authentic but anyone can create one nowadays through a synthesizer,unfortunately it's still not enough of a proof...anything else ?" Thomas was disappointed that his 'relative' didn't believe him until he felt something under his coat, "Of course,the Astral Sword!" he unsheathed the ancient blade which gleamed in the light but it sent Dr. Leingod in a defensive position. "Aren't you going to kill me....huh ?" he was puzzled when the sword was given to him, "Here's my other proof of my identity." Dr Leingod took the sword and examined it and he went wide-eyed when he confirmed the authenticity of the weapon.

"Come Mr Thomas,we've have a lot to discuss..." Tom smiled as the sword was returned."Oh,okay....come on Fayt,Miss Sophia I believe your professors wouldn't mind you skipping class today." Fayt just shrugged and replied with sarcasm, "Sure we can skip class today.....and say that our excuse is that my ancestor time-traveled to our time for a little chat and while we're at it,why not say that I'm a biological superweapon..." Robert evidently flinched at Fayt's last comment, "...sure that'll be alright...hey!Are you even listening!....Come on Sophia..."Fayt latched his hands onto Sophia's who had been watching the entire scene but was interrupted when Fayt grabbed her hands, "Oh okay..." Fayt ran to catch up with his father and dragged Sophia along.

* * *

(Alfea,Rosa's room)

"Arghhh!How do I open this book!" Rosa was covered in ink,along with Kiko and some of her furniture. She had been trying to force the book open but she didn't heed the advice that Concorda had given to a snap of her fingers,the entire room and the occupants were cleaned. "Alright now let's try something new....huh ?What's this...." Rosa found a cavity on the left side of Argus' profile, "...looks familiar...oh yeah!..." Rosa quickly went to her vanity mirror and opened up her jewelery box and took out a medallion on which was carved a special symbol,the symbol of the Eraklion and Sparx Royal family,both the crest shared the same side,one half showed Eraklion's crest of a noble lion roaring(not sure if its true)and Sparx's compass-like pattern of crystal shards. "This should fit...." Rosa inserted the medallion into the cavity which was a perfect fit but a transparent image appeared which was of a dragon, "You are not Argus,thus your request to read the secret of the Dragon's Fire has been denied!" Rosa jumped back in surprise as the medallion popped out of the cavity,sizzling with heat and she huffed in anger as the book slammed shut and heard a clicking sound like a door being locked and saw a small lock had appeared,effectively locking away its secrets from Rosa for the time being.

"Hmph!Be that way!....What am I saying!I'm arguing with an inanimate object!Oww!Alright who threw...that ?" the medallion was near her,the projectile used on her and the one who threw it was...the book which seemed to be mocking her by blowing raspberries. "Alright!Now I'm ticked off!" Rosa summoned a massive ball of intense heat but as she was about to hurl it at the book,her face was squirted with ink which caused her to lose concentration which in turn caused the fireball to disperse into puffs of smoke before several paper planes swooped down firing squirts of ink in Rosa's direction.

All this while,Kiko was viewing the entire scene play out like a movie and to emphasize it,the little bunny had a little bucket filled with mini-popcorn and soda...until he was also squirted in the face by a barrage of ink splats. Kiko ducked for cover,which was in Rosa's arm,the safest spot for a little bunny-pixie. Rosa tried retaliating but the thought of fighting against a book was ridiculous,thus keeping her from properly concentrating so she had to endure the 'attacks' by the book and clean the mess later.

* * *

(Unknown Location:???,Lord Kaleb's chamber)

The mysterious figure that is Lord Kaleb,sitting upon his throne,his features shadowed by the darkness in the chamber and around the throne were his guards who were nothing more than skeletons wearing armor. Kaleb was watching the scene at King's Cross play out on the glass orb that hovered nearby,Dianovas casually leaping about in the trees towards the battle that was being fought right at the moment between Dianovas' newly acquired Army of Decay and the lone specialist who was also the keeper of the Dragon's Fire and he was fighting an army on his own.

A skeleton guard approached his master and saluted. "My Liege,why do you watch this event ? We all know that one man alone can't defeat that many foes,even if he's heavily armed." the undead guard was replied with complete silence until Kaleb spoke in his deep voice. "....How naive you are....despite being ancient,you are foolish not to have notice that this warrior has powers...powers still untapped but he has abilities that far exceeds even the greatest of warriors....a 'one man army' if you could put it that way...now,leave me be so that I may continue to observe his abilities." the skeleton saluted "As you wish Lord Kaleb." after that he returned to his post in the shadows of the room.

* * *

(King's Cross,Argus' Location)

Hundreds upon hundreds of monsters from the Army of Decay were swarming all over the area,all of them trying to destroy their target who was in the middle of the 'army' but their target was easily fighting them off. "Take that!!" Argus yelled as he destroyed several Beast Troopers with a single horizontal slash from his massive broadsword. Argus was wielding his weapon with incredible skill,each hit was a success which was a useful skill as he had to deal with an army worth of opponents but he just simply 'danced' around them slicing and dicing his way towards one sword that was the nearest and the moment he reached it,he pulled it out used it to slice a Juggernaut in half before he started to make his way towards the next sword using the same tactics as he kept dodging every strike that was meant for him,darting left and right,swinging his weapons to a certain rhythm clearing a path to the next sword. When he got there,he tossed the sword he had gotten earlier into the sky really hard,before using his magic to keep it there as he repeated the process all over again but using different styles,such as jumping on top of the Juggernauts,causing the 'soldiers' to open fire and evaded it at the last moment,letting the energy bullets hit the Juggernaut,destroying it in the process. Another one,he just used pure brutality hacking and slashing and the next he used magic,fireballs flying about,burning its victim to a crisp,bolts of lightning blasting their targets to pieces,and for his piece _'la resistance' _,the air turned icy and suddenly,several Juggernauts and 'soldiers' were encased in blocks of ice before being smashed to smithereens by Argus' attacks.

All this time,unknowingly to the Army of Decay,Argus was luring them into a trap. When he threw the last sword into the air,he released his hold on the levitation spell he had used on the airborne weapons,a total of twenty swords all in a circular formation and they all plunged their blades into the earth at the exact same time and the hilt turned in a clockwise position,Argus jumped into the middle of the formation,trying to lure more victims in while fighting them to stay alive. When he believed that plenty had already fallen into his trap,he created a detonator with the Battle-bands and with a confident smirk he said, "Bye-bye,suckers." with that he pushed the detonation button,the swords instantly lit up with energy and spread out a laser field to prevent anyone from escaping the explosion,including Argus but he just stood there with a smile on his face as the swords self-destructed,creating a gigantic explosion that could've decimated part of King's Cross but the laser field held in the explosion but it couldn't hold in the shock-wave of the explosion's force,which pulled out several trees by their roots and in all this destruction,Dianovas was jumping from an airborne tree onto the next,running down the trunks of the trees,making his way towards solid ground but even the ground gave way as the sheer force of the explosion caused the ground to break apart into sharp spikes that flew in random directions and some flew right at Dianovas,but he just pulled out a sword that wasn't there before and started deflecting each and every earth spike that came his way.

After the dust settled,Dianovas had landed with his weapon at the ready,the sword itself was unique,the blade was straight as a regular sword with the blade-tip curved to create an unusual but effective weapon. "Is he dead ?" Dianovas questioned himself and he was answered when a transparent dragon soared from the crater into the sky,roaring and after that it disappeared,revealing Argus completely unscathed,falling rapidly towards the ground but he had spotted Dianovas and called for two longswords and the Battle-bands responded,arming its wearer with the weapons he had requested. The moment he set foot on the ground,Argus went into a battle stance and yelled out, "I don't know who or what you are!But I somehow know that you're the one that summoned these monsters.....so prepare for a beating of your life!" Argus charged at his opponent with incredible speed but Dianovas just sidestepped,letting Argus stab a Juggernaut that had avoided the trap,it instantly burst into dozens of larvae.

Dianovas opened up a portal and entered it but when he was halfway in,he called out, "My Army of Decay!Use this gift I'm giving to you to defeat this mortal!" it once again rained and after that,every single monster imploded and it started raining larvae which gathered at one single spot into a gigantic mass of black insects which began to form a vague humanoid shape that kept growing in size as the rain of insects kept pouring on until the 'creature' was tripled the size of a Juggernaut,except for the fact that it had six arms two of them were massive claws while the other four were smaller and had rifles attached to it in place of its hands and just like a Juggernaut,it had no head but it didn't mean that it was a lousy shooter,in fact it opened fire at Argus but he managed to defend against it but at the cost of his Battle-band as it was severely damaged by the energy bullets that were far more powerful than it was before.

Left with only two longswords and the standard arsenal of the specialist which consisted of two swords,four boomerangs,one dagger,one shield,and a hover board. Argus went into a battle-stance and cried out, "You have got to be kidding me!" and he got a roar for his reply and a few miles off,Trevor woke up with a start when he heard the roar and later the sounds of battle,he staggered to his feet feeling that most of his wounds have healed,leaving a few cuts and bruises. "A battle....someone must be in danger..." thinking that someone was in need of help,Trevor took out his sword and ran towards the direction where the battle was taking place.

* * *

Author's note:If any of you are wondering why Argus has so much power and abilities,think about it:He gets personal training from the head instructor,the Dragon's Flame/Fire giving him incredible capabilities.  


* * *

(Wildlands,Clearing)

The Great Dragons have already landed at a clearing,the specialists arrived to see Reina talking to Zian in his draconic form. "....So....where is this cave that the Dragon Weed grows....oh here you are,thought you were lost or something." the specialists were panting as they had set their ship some distance away and had to run all the way to the small clearing,the clearing was nothing more than a small area where the trees didn't grow as ground looked like decayed earth with dead patches of grass. "How come this place looks like a graveyard ?" one of the specialists asked, "Hmm...It appears that I've forgotten to mention this.......to put it simply,this place was where a terrible battle took place and this is the result,the blood of Decay Larvae tainted this place centuries ago."

Reina raised her eyebrows in curiosity, "I think I've learned about this from Professor Avalon's class before....he said that the blood of a tainted being scars the land like a plauge..but why is it still lingering around ?" the other Great Dragons that had accompanied them were currently clawing at a vine-covered rock, "What are they doing ?" Reina stepped towards the rock side and tapped on it to hear a hollow sound, "Hey!There's something here !" Reina backed away a bit before she started manifesting a weak fireball and succeeded,with it she quickly sent it flying at the vines before it could disperse,burning the vines to crisps which revealed a huge cave that could let the dragons enter easily and Zian watched this in amazement _How did she use magic....the Wildlands drain all beings of their magical essence....I must find out later. _"Thank you for clearing our path Miss Reina,now shall we....." Reina nodded as she entered the cave,followed by the specialists and Zian,leaving the other Great Dragons as guards. Moments later,a great shadow loomed over the two dragons and they prepared themselves for a fight but the fight was short-lived when the unknown assailant dispatched the dragons quickly,giving them no time to warn their comrades of the enemy's presence. All that was heard was the sound of huge feet stomping about and the occasional growl.

* * *

(Red Fountain,Sera's Location)

The elevator was situated on the main structure of the school,its glass walls allowed anyone riding it view the magnificent school but it didn't look so wonderful to a the elevator's single occupant,Sera Slifer,who was in a fetal position and crying her eyes out,her uniform a mess as a result from the battle "Why do I feel this way ?.....Do I...have feelings for him ?.....No!No!I don't....do I ?" Sera was still crying but she began calming down,contemplating her feelings towards her friend.

After a while,she got up and wiped away her tears and put on a more cheerful look on her face, "No way am I attracted to my friend!Besides,the other girls he has already chasing after him would kill me if I really have feelings towards him. Hahahaha....err hi ?" the elevator door opened up,letting a couple of junior specialists see their instructors laughing her head off. "What!Back to your duties!On the double!" the juniors panicked and saluted "Y-Y-Yes Instructor!" before running into each other,knocking them down onto the floor but they quickly gathered what's left of their dignity and ran off towards their posts.

After a while,Sera started laughing at the hilarious antics that just took place and said between laughs, "I sure wish Argus was here to see that!Argus,you've better come back safe and sound or else I'm going to answer to your girlfriend!" Sera laughed all the way to her room despite the tears continued flowing as she slumped down onto the floor as she went to sleep.  


* * *

(Galactical Enterprise Headquaters,Lobby)

The outside of the building was amazing but the inside was much more dazzling as the interior was decorated in medieval-like architecture but still held the presence of modern technology,Fayt was walking towards the counter,used to the interaction with both technologically advanced worlds and underdeveloped ones as well as Cliff but Albel just gawked at everything in the lobby and muttered to himself, "Wonder how long will it take for me to trash this place...." he was answered when Izak,with his super-sonic hearing replied, "It would take you about 28 hours,50 minutes and 26.9 seconds to do that but it is my duty to stop you,should you feel the need to harm any innocent bystanders." Izak was fingering the Laser Weapon but Albel shrugged it off and walked past the clueless android.

"Ah bug off you maggot!I was just imagining it,let me dream once in a while would you." Izak put the weapon back into his jacket and followed Albel to the counter and found that Fayt had already finished his business,he was holding a small device that projected a holographic interface showing the directions to Commodore Wittcomb who was now a president of a corporate conglomerate. "Okay,we'll need to take the number 2 elevator up to level 11,walk left until we reach the number 26 elevator,take it up to the 40th floor and take the transporter in the center that will take us to the commodore's office.....sounds simple enough,let's go." Fayt shut off the device and led the group to the 2nd elevator which will take them closer towards their destination but unfortunately...the girl at the counter suddenly remembered something, "Did I give them the right direction that takes them along the safe route or the security route,better hope not....the last poor guy that went there without a security card had to be sent for emergency-care for a year...or was it two ?" the counter-lady,continued her work,oblivious to the fact that she'd just sent Fayt and his team on a 'troublesome' course of action.

* * *

(Diplo II,Captain's quarters)

Cecille was tucking in Jake into bed when he suddenly woke up,startling the girl. "What happened!....I should be getting back to work..." Jake said as he tried to get out of bed but Cecille poked him in the chest which made him wince and saw that he was shirtless and he has a scar across his chest, "You stay in bed right now!You almost died back there,understand ?" Jake tried pushing her out of the way and complained, "...but my duties..." Cecille moved closer in on her commanding officer and said in a near-seductive tone, "No buts....your gonna stay in bed....and let me take care of you.....understood ?" her face was so close to his caused Jacob to gulp, _How can this cadet be so innocent and commanding at the same time!That's it!Time to take charge! _"No I don't understand!As the captain of this vessel,I order you to let me go on with my duties!" but all he got was a stern look from Cecille, "Now listen here mister!As a medical officer,I have the authority to override any and all of your orders and to confine you to your quarters. Got it!"

Jake hunched his shoulders and grumbled to himself, "Yes 'mom'...." "What was that!" but Jake just continued grumbling before turning his back towards Cecille. Cecille giggled before whispering to herself, "He's so adorable when he's grumpy..." she used the room's synthesizer to create some ingredients for cooking some food for the two. Fortunately,there was a small kitchen in the room, "Seems the 'captain' has some perks,let's see where the pan is...ah,here it is....let's get started." After awhile,a delicious aroma drifted through the room and sneaked into Jake's nostrils which in turn caused him to sniff about with a hungry look on his face until a plate was shoved into his face, "Here you go,it's my specialty...chicken curry...enjoy!" Jake sniffed the aromatic food,ready to dig in but he stopped halfway,Cecille teased him by eating some of the curry from Jake's portion, "Come on....its not poison so dig in....Jake ?"

Jake just sighed and put the plate away, and he started crying of all things. Cecille thought that he was suffering again from a traumatic memory and she did the only thing she could....hug the crying captain and try to calm him with with words of comfort. "It's gonna be alright....nothing's gonna hurt you....huh?" Cecille was surprised when Jake buried his head in her chest,she felt the urge to slap him but the saddened look in his face made him look like an innocent child who was now crying and muttering bits and pieces of his past,essentially a verbal rerun of his past "....I sorry I couldn't save you!....please stay alive!...Cecille!Mom!Dad!Noooo!....take this you bastard!!....what have I done!" fortunately,the room had soundproof walls but Cecille was sad to that his past trauma still haunt him._ 'After all these years,he's still affected by that event,oh Jake..if only you could stop pushing away others and move on.' _ Cecille felt like crying for the poor 'child' but she stopped herself from doing so. _No!I must not cry!I must stay strong for him.... _she was left in the room to comfort the weeping 'child'

* * *

(Earth,Pentagon)

A few years earlier,Earth was struck by a massive explosion that took out half of the world's population as well as several cities but the historical monuments of the past such as the Statue of Liberty among others were undamaged for the most part as they had built in reinforced shields that protected them when the Earth's Planetary Defense Shield failed and one of these monuments is the famous Pentagon,a place that had served as a home base for countless generals in times of war and since the Federation Headquaters was decimated when the shield failed,the Pentagon's system was re-established to once again serve the government but most of the people that operate there were military personnel and some of them were now deep underground in a meeting. The meeting place was a dark room but the faint glows of several monitors showed that the room was in a circular formation and in the center of this 'circle' was a holographic image of Andrew Heinmann, "....and that gentlemen,concludes my report. Please pass this on to the president. Good day..." the image saluted before shutting itself off,the room was instantly filled with light and revealed several men,all dressed in the same uniform,a light-brown suit with militaristic designs on the shoulder area and a few had medals on their chest,signifying that they are higher ranking officers.

"Do you suppose that we should inform the President of the situation ?" a young man in an officer's uniform asked as he shut off his monitor, ".....Maybe we should as the information we now have is crucial but the way it happened,three of these unknown vessels destroyed half the patrol unit and took out the Starlight,a ship with enough shielding technology integrated into its system to withstand a volley of disruptor cannons and yet....it was destroyed with only a few hits...it would make the Federation a laughing stock should this information leak out." a plump looking man was replaying the space-battle that took place over again to ensure that the data was accurate,suddenly a large man slammed his fist on the table,crushing some of its circuitry beneath his seat, "Enough!I shall personally deliver the data!....Major Stevens,if you please...the datadisk..." the plump man quickly uploaded the data into a diskette and handed it over to the huge man, "...Here you are General Wilde,....and please do be careful with it..."

'Wilde' nodded as he pocketed the diskette and promptly left the room but on the way,the lights in the hall flickered. "Huh...?...Aghhh!" 'Wilde' was hit in the back of his head,stunning him and his face was covered by a cloth,making him unable to identify the assailant but he did feel the diskette being taken from him,the general tried to shout but the cloth muffled his cry for help. Fortunately,he regained the feel in his hands and used it to lunged at the thief,managing to grab the thief's pant leg but the thief planted his foot on 'Wilde's hand. After 'Wilde' let go,he took off the cloth to get a good look but the one he was looking for was getting away but he did catch a glimpse of his back, "Huh ?" 'Wilde' was confused as the thief's retreating figure was wearing a Federation uniform..only it was red and purple instead of light brown and black. "Dammit!Come back here...ugh...why...do I..feel so light-headed..." 'Wilde' collapsed as the head wound he received started bleeding,all the while the thief ran down the hallway before a pair of swirling lights engulfed him,transporting him to his destination.

* * *

(Bachtain University,Private Lounge)

Thomas,Fayt and Robert Leingod were sitting around a coffee-table,waiting for the scanner to complete it's analysis on the Astral was nearby preparing some drinks for the foursome. "....hmmm,this is an interesting device...it allows time travel right ?" Robert asked Thomas who nodded in response as he examined the Time-watch but noticed some cracks here and there, "...Excuse me,but why does it have cracks ?" Thomas scratched the back of his head before letting out a nervous laugh, "...uh,funny thing really....I lost my temper and let it out on it....but I don't think the damage would affect the watch....would it ?"

Robert sighed as he gave the watch back to Thomas, "Well,all I can see that the device is operational but the possibility of it exploding on you if you try using it is significant." Thomas quickly place the watch on the table and inched himself away from the possible 'Time-bomb' that Robert put into a scanner. "Here you are,soda for Fayt,tea for Tom and Mr Leingod and milkshakes for me.." Sophia interrupted as she handed everybody their drinks and noticed the watch and took it in her hands and pushed an almost concealed button which released a tiny compartment. "Huh ?...what's this ?" Sopgia pulled out a tiny piece of paper and started unfolding it, "Hey Sophia,what'd you've got there ?" Fayt noticed the paper that Sophia was still unfolding.

"Wait a minute!Where did you get that ?" Sophia just handed the watch to Thomas who immediately saw the small compartment and snatched it as well as the paper from Sophia, "Hey!What you do that for!" Thomas ignored Sophia's complaint as he clasped a particular corner of the paper between his fingers and flipped it and to everyone's amazement,the whole thing unfolded itself completely to reveal a blueprint the size of two letter-sized documents taped together in the same page, "Should've known Dad would prepare something like this." Thomas handed the blueprint over to Robert who then checked the blueprint, "Hmmm,this appears to be a blueprint for the Time-Watch....and what's this....its a message it says":

_

* * *

Dear Son,  
I guessed that you might be interrupted in your attempt to reach me and from my years raising you and putting up with your temper,I've prepared this blueprint in case you break the Time-Watch.  
Good Luck,from your father,Henry Leingod.

* * *

_

A beeping noise was heard and all eyes turned to the scanner which had just finished it's task of analyzing the watch but before Robert could check the data it collected,it emitted sparks of electricity before it set off a spire of smoke,indicating that the gadget was no longer functional, "....Let's fix your Time-Watch shall we....oh and Fayt...go back to class,you too Sophia." Sophia nodded but Fayt groaned as he was pulled along out of the room. "...Ummm,Mr Leingod....what will I do ?" Robert Leingod seemed thoughtful for a moment before he asked, "You said that you have a college degree in English Literature right ?" Thomas nodded slowly, "You don't want me to be an english professor....do you ?" Robert smiled as Thomas slumped his shoulders in resignation and said, "Where do I sign up ?"

* * *

(Secret Chamber)

The chamber that held the Red Star was practically the same the only difference was that a shard of the crystal was missing but the spirits knew that it was being safely guarded by Argus. The Red Star suddenly glowed and projected the image of a person wearing a white cloak emblazoned with golden trimmings and the person's face was hidden by a hood but he put out his hand,revealing an armored hand which created a rainbow-colored sphere of energy which separated into several smaller balls,each with its individual colors that flew to the tapestries which in response glowed as the spheres entered the tapestries that created a portal for each one.

Like the colored spheres,the portals also had the same color and from each portal stepped out armored figures with the corresponding color and the most prominent one was Efreet who had fought Argus sometime ago. "Glad all of you could make it.....you know what to do." the 'knights' nodded as they each reached their hands out for the Red Star which split into multiple shards that each 'knight' took except Efreet with obvious reasons but he did approached the cloaked man who silently handed him a small red orb that fit in the palm of Efreet's hand. "This is what you seek is it not ?" Efreet nodded as he returned to his portal and just like Efreet,each 'knight' received a corresponding orb. Each 'knight' exited the room through their portals which returned to tapestries looking as if nothing had happened to them. The cloaked man also used a portal to exit the room,leaving no trace of his presence only the spot on the pedestal where the Red Star used to be.

* * *

Author's note:not my best chapter but I hope its good enough for you.  
Now as you may have already guessed,I'm lagging a bit as there are 'holes' in my plotline that needs to be filled so if you have any ideas,please,pretty please with sugar and cherry on top!Give me some ideas(and inspiration)  
Okay,now that's over with here is something new that I've 'liberated' from other authors,here it is:  
Winx Vote(WiVo for short)  
A poll of which villain will appear or the first one to fight Argus or the first one to face him in...well,in video game term:boss fights. And also what might happen in the story but I may or may not take your votes seriously but I will take them into serious consideration,depending on the votes and suggestions of course.  
First poll:  
What kind of monster do you think that Reina's group will encounter that just took out two Great Dragons.  
a. A Juggernaut  
b. A Rouge Dragon  
c. A Demon  
d. ??? ???(This is a mystery monster,that's all I'm gonna say)

Well,that's all I have for now. This is Argus456 signing off.  
p.s:Thanks for accepting my offer Anesha


	15. Chapter 14

Author's note:I guess the popularity of my story has declined by a bit but I'm not going to give up!As I have started it!I'm going to finish it!Especially for my loyal reviewers. Thanks you guys and !On with the story.

Disclaimer:I don't own anything that is related in any way to Winx Club and or Star Ocean:Till the End of Time. But I do own the plot line and the Ocs.

* * *

(King's Cross,Argus' Location)

"Whoa!..." Argus yelled as he dodged another barrage of lasers from the 'Juggernaut's rifle and let loose a fireball while he was still airborne and it created a large hole in the shoulder,Argus pumped his fist into the air as he landed, "Yes!..Oh come on!" Argus' cheering was cut short as he saw the 'Juggernaut' regenerated back it's shoulder and started running at Argus despite it's size. Argus barely dodged the tackle as he delivered a vertical slash that split the 'Juggernaut's arm clean off and was greeted with disappointment as the arm was just picked up and re-attached itself. _Come on!There's got to be a way to beat this thing!_

Unfortunately,he was too busy concentrating in finding the 'Juggernaut's weakness to notice it lumbering up behind him. When the 'Juggernaut's fist was about to hit Argus, "Watch out!!" Argus ducked out of the way and saw an unmanned hoverboard crash into the massive opponent,exploding on impact. "Now that's should take care of that!" Argus saw another Specialist,Argus stayed in his battle stance, "Don't count on it!This thing heals itself!" Argus yelled as another barrage of lasers erupted from the smoke that the explosion created earlier. Trevor managed to put up a wall of fire that absorbed the blasts. "...By the way are you Trevor Pyris!" Argus shouted as he threw a boomerang that flew through the air but was blown to bits by the Juggernaut's rifles. When Trevor replied in a shout "Yeah!" and started rushing it,Argus put his weapon in front of him,blocking him from a attack, "What are you doing!!" Argus just replied coolly, "We better retreat until we find it's weak point."

Trevor reluctantly agreed as he ran,following Argus as they both ran from the Juggernaut which kept firing it's rifles,forcing the two run in a zig-zag line to avoid being hit. While running,Argus kept firing fireballs to slow the hulking beast down, '_Damn!Not a mark!....Huh?....Fire...Arts ?Heh,I see...'_ with a confidant smile,Argus stopped running and turned to face the oversize Juggernaut.

Trevor saw this and yelled out, "Are you nuts!" Argus just went into a martial artist stance and called out, "Fend off it's attacks while I prepare for an attack!" Trevor grunted as he dived in front of Argus as the Juggernaut fired it's lasers that were blocked by his shield.

Every time the Juggernaut attacked,Trevor blocked them with his shield and magic. All the while,Argus was concentrating on how to use the knowledge of the Fire Arts quickly before Trevor gets killed. '_Come on,come _on. _Alright!' _The pendant around his neck started glowing and Argus smirked as his entire being started emitting a fiery aura and quickly told Trevor, "Split it in half!I'll take care of the rest!" Trevor used his magic to create a fire sword and leaped into the air in front of the Juggernaut which started firing upon him."Please..like that would even work!" Trevor started spinning in a quick pace,creating a fiery tornado that deflected the lasers,after that the 'fire tornado' dispersed,showing Trevor poised in a striking position with his sword above him, "Take this!Pyro Arc!" he brought the sword down and split it down the center and as he set foot on the ground,the Juggernaut started regenerating itself. "I hope you 'do the rest' fast!Cause its healing up fast!"

Argus closed his eyes,swept his left leg in front of him,put his arms in a position ready to punch,Trevor slapped himself in the face, "What the heck are you doing!If your going to try punching it,you might want to try it closer!" at that moment,Argus' eyes opened and and screamed at Trevor, "Get out of the way!!" Trevor dodged several fireballs that flew past him at incredible speeds right at the Juggernaut, "What the ?" Trevor saw Argus performing martial art moves that launched fireballs with each punch and kick he did, "Now for the final blow!"Argus stood still until he jumped into the air and used his legs to perform kicks to launch fireballs to propel himself higher into the air then he started diving quickly towards the gruesome form of the sludge that was the wounded Juggernaut. He tucked his legs in and at the last moment he let loose an arch kick which created a straight stream of blue fire that resembled a massive fire sword that scorched the Decay Larvae that tried in vain to escape the flame as they melted into dark pool of darkness that evaporated into nothingness.

Unfortunately,Trevor was caught in that last attack,although he was a Fire Sage Specialist,the heat was too intense to withstand. As soon as he saw this,Argus rushed up to Trevor to heal his wounds, "The burns are quite terrible,here take this..." Argus pulled out a phial. "It contains some Dragon Weed essence,it should heal most of your wounds but it does have it's limits...I'll have to risk it.." as soon as Trevor finished the potion,his wounds started healing rapidly but he still felt the pain as there were still wounds that were left unchecked but Argus used his powers to remedy that,but used his own health in exchange to heal Trevor's wounds.

After finishing treating Trevor's wounds,Argus collapsed from sheer exhaustion as well as the wounds he exchanged for Trevor's health. "Are you all right!" Trevor started patching up Argus' injuries as best as he could but it only heal the outside wounds as the pain that was felt on the inside was intense,luckily the powers of the Dragon Fire kept the pain at bay. "...We should get.....out of here...let me open up a portal.." when he tried doing so,he coughed up blood. "What a time to be without health potions...urghh" Argus coughed more blood out before collapsing again. "Come on,lean on me." Trevor helped Argus up who used him to support himself, "..By the way..(cough)...how are we going to get out of here...the woods ?" Trevor nodded and Argus chuckled, "What's so funny ?" Argus shook his head slightly, "Nothing,...its just that..I believe that this is the start of a great friendship..." Trevor nodded in agreement as the two slowly made their way into the woods as a shortcut to Red Fountain.

* * *

Author's note:As for the fighting style Argus used,imagine firebending from the show Avatar:The last Airbender

* * *

(Wildlands,Cave Interior)

"Wow!This place is huge!" Reina felt like a child that was brought to the toy store as she ran ahead of the group,that is until she screamed. "Aaaahhh!" The Specialists rushed to her aid and they were surprised to see her pointing at something,and to their shock and disgust,decayed corpses of what seemed to be dragons fighting an unknown creature that looked somewhat like a dragon and yet wasn't one,one of the Specialist who was a junior,vomited uncontrollably. "I see you've found the battle site that took place generations ago." Zian,still in his draconic form loomed over them with a sad look in his reptilian eyes as a tear slid down his scaly visage,Reina put a hand on the Great Dragon's claw,giving him comfort, "I thank you for your compassion,young lady....this cave is actually the entrance tunnel towards the Legendary City of Dragons,unfortunately our kind lost the city after that war caused by what you humans called 'The Trix'....please,join me in paying respect to my ancestors.." Zian bowed his head as did the others.

After what seemed to be an eternity spent in silence,Zian raised his head and sniffed the air and quickly turned his direction towards the passageway's entrance,he bellowed out "Somethings coming,we must travel further into the cavern,quickly follow me!" Zian led the group into the cave,leaving the 'something' behind.

When the group reached a cliff-face,they stopped and a Specialist peered down the cliff,seeing a never-ending abyss of darkness, "Way to go O-Scaly-One!You've led us to a dead-end!" Zian ignored the sarcasm and let loose a fire-breath,allowing the stream of flames to reach a particular stone jutting out of the cave roof,which glowed brightly under the heat and in the process,Zian flicked a small fireball the size of a pinky slip through the stream of fire which hit and lit up the cape of th Specialist who had insulted him earlier. "...I smell something burning...aahhh!" the Specialist quickly dropped to the floor and rolled about until the fire was put out but left his cape ruined and the rest of his uniform wrinkled and dirty. "Oh my!Sorry about that O-Dirty-One!...Come,the passage has been revealed!" the party turned around to see a transparent bridge floating in the air and led to a gateway. "Quickly!Before the stones cools!"

The group ran across the bridge quickly while Zian flew across in the spacious cavern but before Reina could reach the other end,the stone cooled down,losing its effect on the bridge which started to disappear. Luckily,Zian saved her again by swooping to her rescue and gently deposited her on the other end with the Specialists. "Thanks...again...." Zian,now arched his back as he took on his human form, "Now then,allow me to open the gates." Zian walked towards the gateway,the gate was made of granite rock with archaic designs and writings telling of how dragons and humans both worked and lived together in peace and harmony,until the sculpting started describing monsters invading the gates,humans and dragons alike defended their home bravely then the words and designs were stopped as the rest were all scratched up beyond recognition. Zian reached for a side panel that was hidden away and pulled a chain pulley which automatically opened the gates,slowly but surely.

When the gate was wide open,Zian stopped the others when they tried entering, "I must warn you,the city was abandoned eons ago,there's no telling what has taken up residence here while my kind has been away all this time....so it best to be prepared." the Specialists brought out their weapons,hopeful that they won't have to use them as they pass through the gate and just a few meters off,a massive creature stomped through the caverns and once it reached the cliff-face,it breathed a long stream of fire,summoning forth the enchanted bridge before 'it' crossed it with heavy footsteps echoing throughout the area,unfortunately,Reina's group was already to far inside the gate to hear it

* * *

(Red Fountain,Goldscales Hall)

The secret room that holds the Codex Shard,safe under the watchful eye of Athena,the minifairy guardian who was polishing the Codex unaware of the chaos that was ensuing outside the vault room,several senior Specialists in their heavy armor were dodging the flying light that was actually Livy who just used one of Concorda's magic spells to teleport here,startling the Specialists who started using their weapons to try and eliminate the 'light' as their yells drowned out the sound of Livy's pleas as she flew around in random directions,desperately trying to reach safety and she saw a tiny opening under a statue and promptly slipped through it,leaving the guards chasing for something that wasn't there anymore.

"Now that's the Codex is nice and shiny,I can catch up on some sleep..." Athena then had a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. "....then again I could pull a prank on Rylon,he's no Cordatorta but he's definitely fun." while thinking up a prank,she heard a noise but before she could turn around,Livy crashed right into Athena.

After recovering from the dizziness caused by crashing into each other earlier,now they were having lunch or rather dinner as evening was approaching. "So,Livy...what brings you here ?" Livy was busy swallowing a large bite of the sandwich that she was eating to pay attention until she pulled out a letter from her letter-pouch and handed it over to Athena before flying off,sandwich in hand but the moment she exit the room,sounds of running and blasters went off and Livy flew back into the room before slamming the door shut,Livy plopped onto the floor breathing heavily from the close encounter with death just now,forgetting that her kind were near impossible to kill. "Maybe I'll stay a while...." Athena sighed as she opened the letter and at the same time,the other three Codex Keepers were also opening their arched her eyebrows as she saw the word 'Urgent' on the letter. She unfolded the letter and started reading the contents aloud,  
"Dear Athena,  
I need to be brief,I feel that-" Athena frowned as she continued reading

* * *

(Alfea,Secret Archives)

"..-the keeper of the Dragon Fire will be in danger and that he'll need to pass-" Concorda was reading the letter with her mouth agape as she read further.

* * *

(Cloud Tower,Codex Tower Vault)

"...The Elemental Trials in order to protect himself from this danger I sensed when the Great Dragon's suddenly migrated towards the Wildlands outside their regular migration pattern. Please,prepare the Codex Shards as the keeper will need them in the future.  
From your friend and fellow Codex Keeper,  
Ninfea." Discorda's expression remained neutral when she finished reading the letter in her hand,all she did was put the letter away as she flew towards the Codex Shard that was levitating in its glass case. "I hope you appreciate this Ninfea..." Discorda sighed as she proceeded to remove the shard from its case.

* * *

(Galactical Enterprise,Security Route)

The elevator stopped when it reached it's destination. '_Ping!' _The elevator door opened,letting it's occupants out before it returned to the lower floors. "Alright,from what the directions say.....we should go this way..." Fayt started walking until he slammed into something. "..Oww...what did I...." Fayt looked up to see a robot,clad in thick armor hovering a few inches above the ground, "...hit ?" the robot held out what resembled a hand and said in a monotone, "Please hand over security card for clearance." Fayt approached the bulky machine and replied calmly, "What are you saying,please explain your protocol." the robot responded by not answering but by revealing several armaments of guns 'popping' out of it's body,literally and started an alarm that blared loudly,alerting other security-droids in the area.

Fayt quickly jumped back away and pulled out his weapon,the Levantine,Fayt's most favored sword while Albel took out his sword which was the Crimson Scourge,which as it's name ensued,was blood-red but was actually a sword covered in ancient only raised his fists as he put on a pair of gauntlets,one was larger than the other,outfitted with symbology-based tech,the Valorous brought out his Laser Weapon and created what seemed to Fayt... "A Gunblade ?" Fayt remembered one of these peculiar weapons,the thing was...that the weapon was from an old video game from the Earth's pre-galaxy age,before the Earth started the Terran Alliance.

"Izak isn't that an unconventional...." Izak rushed towards the security-droid and slashed at it,simultaneously pulling the trigger,effectively destroying the droid instantly before more arrived to take it's place. "....Nevermind,come on let's go!" Fayt,along with Cliff and Albel jumped into the fray, _Heh!Just like old times! _Fayt smirked as he cut down one droid after another,while Cliff delivered a flurry of punches and kicks at lightning speed,pounding the droid's armor in.

"Hand of Doom!" Albel unleashed an energy of pure darkness from his hand and obliterated four droids in a single blow before he gutted another one with his claw-arm,pulling out wires and pieces of machinery. Izak used a fighting style that Fayt recognized as the game character that used the Gunblade,Squall Lionhart,Fayt was puzzled on how Izak knew those styles of fighting,sure he was a robot with built-in computer but the archives that kept these kind of information were lost. _How did you get your hands on them,Jake..._ Fayt thought as he continued fighting alongside with his comrades.

* * *

(King's Cross,Forest Area)

Trevor and Argus have been trekking in the forest for several hours already and Argus' wounds were becoming worse as time passed, "Gaghhh!..." Argus keeled over as he coughed out more of his blood,he wiped his bloody mouth with his sleeves and stood up again only to fall down again as he tripped over a vine, "....stupid plant!Huh ?....Is that what I think it is..." Argus ran forward,despite his injuries to a strange formation of vines.

Trevor promptly followed Argus who had just took out his dagger,cutting away the vines and to Trevor's surprise,a dull metallic surface shone through the hole that Argus cut open,Trevor saw that Argus' wounds had caught up with him and started to get exhausted, "Here,let me." Argus handed him his dagger Trevor also took out his own dagger and a few quick slashes,the vines fell apart to show an old Hover-Cycle, "Thought so....but what model is it ?" Trevor ran his hand through the shape and design of the vehicle, "It's in a pretty good condition,although it's fuselage is blown up but I can fix it with parts from our equipment....wonder what's model series...and why would it be here of all places to be..." "Space-Spider....." Argus muttered out from just a glance at the vehicle,Trevor looked at his new friend,questioning his mental stability, "How do you know that ?" Argus held up three fingers and replied, "One,Check the name printed on the side..." Trevor scratched the back of his head in embarrassment as he saw the words clearly printed there. "Two,I've read something about this from the journal of my ancestor,King Skye from his days as a Specialist and three,the words popped into my head when I saw it." Trevor ignored the last two 'clues' so as to hide his embarrassment.

"Well.....either way,we've...." Trevor turned around to see Argus fast asleep with his head on a patch of moss for a pillow and to his amazement,his wounds were healing themselves. "I guess I better start a fire before nightfall." Trevor used the vines that he had cut earlier had somehow became dry quickly as firewood as they. As the fire crackled,Trevor set to repair the 'Space-Spider',letting his companion sleep.

* * *

(70 S.D,Bachtain University)

Sophia was in her class,talking to her friends. "Hey Sophia,have you heard!Our class is getting a new English professor!" Sophia quickly put her bag away and joined the conversation. "Really....I wonder what's he's going to be like...Alice,you just came back from the teacher's lounge didn't you ?So tell us what he's like...please.." Alice,was a raven-haired girl that looks almost like Sophia's twin except for her hair and eye color.

"Well...I didn't see the guy exactly but I did hear the teachers talking-" Sophia and the others crowded around Alice as she related the conversation the teachers had, "...From what they said,the new teacher was introduced by Dr Leingod and he's quite young and he's an accomplished academic as he finished his degree when he was 16!" Some of the girls shuffled away when they had the image of a nerdy teen being their new English teacher in their heads. "Oh come on!I didn't say that he wasn't handsome!" that gained back their attention as they returned to listen to Alice.

"Now where was I....oh yes!I manage to take a peek at his profile and his photo....and....he looks like a prince from a fairy-tale." the group sighed as Alice have the same love for fairy-tales like Sophia but it still grasped their attention as Alice only calls a guy a prince if he's really handsome but before they could continue,the door slid away to let their newest teacher into the room.

"Good morning class. I am Thomas Leingod,I'll be your new English teacher until further notice-Oh!Hello Miss Sophia!"  
Thomas was still dressed in his suit,minus his over-coat and rucksacks but unfortunately,his sword was still there,making the students eye him suspiciously as well as Sophia who was trying to hide her face behind a book that to her embarrassment was a romance novel.

"Uh-Hum!Alright,back to business shall we...any questions ?"a student raised his hand,"Yes what is it ? "What's with the sword professor ? " Thomas promptly unsheathed the weapon and displayed it for everyone to see on his desk, "As you might not know,I'm planning on setting up Fencing Club and note that everyone is welcome to join but the club will only be temporary. Anymore questions ?" Thomas asked as he pulled out a P.D.A to follow the set of instructions that Dr Leingod had given him. "I have one,Are you related to Dr Robert Leingod ?" Thomas had expected this and repeated the words he'd rehearsed earlier, "You could say that Uncle Robert is my relative and I believe Cousin Fayt is studying here at the university,is he not ? Now if you don't have any questions left-" another student raised her hands, "Are you single ?" Thomas,was taken aback by the question as his face turned scarlet. "I-uh..I guess I am single why do you ask that question ?" Another student raised her hand, "How old are you ?" Tom regained his composure "I'm 19 and if you wish to know,I'm not interested in getting into a relationship as I might leave abruptly." A series of groans were heard from the girls at his 'decline'.

"Okay,so as to celebrate my first day,no homework for the rest of my class!" the class cheered and a few boys stepped up to their new teacher's desk, "Umm,sir...we were wondering...If your going to start the fencing club,why do you carry a sword that isn't suited for fencing ?" Tom smiled as he sheathed the Astral Blade. "You'll see....oh by the way,please don't spread any rumors about me and Miss Sophia,we're just friends." the boys nodded as they returned to their fun. All the while,Sophia was pestered by the other girls about Thomas.

"What is he like ?" "When did he get here ?" "Where does he live ?" "What's his number ?" Sophia wanted to rush towards Thomas to get some answers herself but she was cut of by the hordes of girls trying to get to their new 'hot' teacher through her. _How am I going to get out of this ?_ Sophia thought as she tried her best to answer the questions.

* * *

(Alfea,Headmistress' Office)

Shara Faragonda was sitting at her desk with a grim look on her face and Lusiz was in the chair across her with Cedric Palladium at the doorway and Concorda was also in the room as well,the letter she received was in her hand. "Lusiz....thank you for bringing us the message,please allow Cedric to escort you back to your home and give my thanks to Queen Algae...you may go now." Lusiz silently curtsied and flew towards the portal that Cedric just opened who followed in after her before it winked out of existence,leaving only Shara and Concorda in the room.

"Concorda....you know what it means to let him go through what Bloom did could endanger his life don't you ?" Concorda nodded in response and spoke out, "I do know what would happen but this is the first time in history that the Keeper of the Dragon Fire is a man which means that the danger lessened and yet it increases as well." Shara slowly nodded,accepting the theory but doubted the consequences. "I know what you mean but the results of this theory is still uncertain....our only choice is to wait and hope for the best...even if it is a long way off from now." "Indeed,now if you don't mind,I'll be returning to the Archives Room." Concorda curtsied before flying out of the room back to the school's secret archives chamber.

* * *

(Dream Realm)

Argus was in his royal outfit again and like last time,he was sleeping in the dream realm and woke up yawning, "Now where am I ?......Oh no,not here again!" Argus leaped to his feet,examining the surrounding area. He quickly put his hands over his mouth and made a swallowing sound as he stopped himself from vomiting from the feeling of vertigo was made when he saw the same dizzying effect of the rainbow-colored surrounding.

"Come now Argus,if you can defeat a brigade of monsters then you definitely can withstand this!" Argus turned around to see Skye in an outfit similar to his own regal clothes."I-uh...Your Highness!" Skye laughed as he saw Argus repeat the protocols again,only he didn't trip this time. "Please, of the formality and you're also royalty. Come on,follow me." Skye turned around with his cape swinging to create a dramatic effect,Argus only followed Skye after he recovered from his giddiness.

After some time,Skye stopped near the bottom of a spiral staircase that led up a pillar. "..What!You want us to walk up ?"  
Skye smirked as he started running up the stairs at an amazing speed. Argus also began running to catch up with the youthful version of his ancestor. "Wow!He's fast!" while running,Argus saw that each steps had a piece of a whole masterpiece of art etched into them,creating the image of a dragon rising into the air or in his case,the top of the huge pillar.

"Phew!...I..finally made...it!" Argus declared between pants as he finally reached the top of the 'pillar' to discover a platform with the glass-stained murals like the last time he was here but the murals were the regular kind that displayed the portraits of saints and angels that are commonly found in chapels and across the platform,Skye was plucking a rose from what to Argus' surprise,a rose bush in a garden that took up the other half of the platform and at the edge was another set of stairs but to the tired prince's relief,it was only a few steps up that led to a magnificent palace that could rival the palace of Eraklion and Sparx put together,the walls were made of fine marble encrusted with diamonds,giving the structure an ethereal glow,high towers rosed into the air with silver-plated tiles formed the coned roof of the tower,the battlements were devoid of any weapons,clearly a place of peace. Argus was breathless as he took in the sight of the structure,he would stood there staring a the sheer brilliance of the palace if Skye hadn't interfered by slapping him in the back, "Welcome to my home!" W_hat! This is his home!....Not much of a surprise now that I think of it,he is royalty after all._

"Want to come in ?" Argus simply nodded as Skye led him up the gates that opened on their own. When the two passed the gates,Argus observed his surrounding,the inside was a courtyard with bushes and trees set in a pattern in the shape of a dragon and the gardening tools were floating about on their own,maintaining their work and Skye had a bouquet of exotic flowers in his hand with a smile on his face, "Here we are...Dragon Fire Palace!" before Argus knew it,he was inside the palatial residence of King Skye and to his amazement,the past keepers of the Dragon Fire and all of them were women,dressed in flowing gowns of crimson,each with a distinct design of fiery patterns and they all curtsied in his presence as well as Skye's.

"Good evening ladies but could you point the way to Bloom for me ?" Skye asked when he bowed in respect to the women who began walking about until a path was cleared to a large doorway which,like the platforms had a mural that was of Skye and Bloom kissing each other softly and the center split of the door was exactly where their lips touched. _Wonder if I'll have a moment like that_ a nostalgic feeling went through him as he gazed at the mural and for a brief moment,the images of Skye and Bloom were replaced by him and Reina,kissing but he shook his head and the image returned to normal. "Coming ?"  
Skye was tapping his foot,waiting for him to catch up. "Alright!Alright!You remind me of my nanny back when I was ten!"  
a few of the people nearby chuckled at this as the two left the room.

While walking through the hall that was in front of them,Argus admired the artwork as they were all related to the Dragon Fire's protectors,and eventually to his further surprise,himself from the day he was born and up to the battle he had fought earlier,the details were incredibly accurate as he let his hands run through the artwork that was suppose to be a part of his life but to his shock,the mural turned into a live reel of the battle, "What the!" Argus gasped as he saw the battle playing itself out like it was actually taking place but it stopped when he fell back the moment 'he' launched fireballs at him. "Aaaahhh!...Huh?"  
he peeked behind his arms to see Skye laughing his head off at his antics. "What's so funny!" Skye simply pointed at a nearby portrait of himself,cowering before his mural. "Hey!" Skye stopped laughing but still snickered as Argus followed him to their destination.

* * *

  
(Diplo II,Captain's Quarters)

Jake woke up in the arms of Cecille Sanders,he was tired beyond reason and he didn't know why until he saw the dried teardrops on the bedsheets and he instantly recalled the happenings a few hours ago, _I've been crying....I thought those nightmares stopped already,I guess I still have a long way to go before I can completely recover _ Jake slipped out of bed,careful not to wake up Cecille but his hair got tangled up in Cecille's brown locks and he inhaled the perfume she had, _Fragrant Flowers,a common favorite for young girls.... _

Jake noticed that her clothes were slightly disheveled from his crying on it,feeling guilty,he used a bit of his symbolgy to alter the wrinkles back to straight cloths without touching her 'chest area' . After tucking her in,Jake put on a new shirt which was one of the many officer uniforms in his closet. He noticed that Cecille started stirring in her sleep mumbling out words that he pieced together as, 'Yes!Yes!I will marry you Jacob Cain!' he shuddered as the thought of him marrying her, "Don't stick to someone like me...you have a bright future ahead of you,don't ruin it for yourself..."

"Did you say something ?" Jake was surprised and not in a good way when he heard Cecille woke up and was laying on the bed in a provocative position,fortunately Jake regained his composure and replied "Nothing,nothing...I said nothing." Cecille slowly nodded at her 'crush' unusual behavior but she liked it either way. "Oh!By the way.....thanks for...comforting me...but don't ask me about my past,I'll talk to you about it eventually...." Cecille was a little disappointed at something but was happy that Jake promised to open up to her,eventually of course and he silently left the room,leaving her to her thoughts.

After a brief period of time,Cecille suddenly realized that she'd just let her patient escape. "Oh no!I let him out in his condition,what am I going to do!" she cried out as she ran out of the room to chase after her 'escaped' patient only to crash into him as he re-entered the room with a file-folder in his hand lips-first. _Oww!That hurt!.....This is heaven...._ Cecille became docile as a lamb and swooned in his arms.

Struggling to hold on to the folder and support Cecille at the same time was difficult in his weakened state as his joints became sore so he dropped the folder and lifted Cecille up in a rough manner over his shoulders. "I guess....that work will have to wait..." Jake sighed in resignation but he noticed Zeak,all healed up and with a camera in his hands, "Got it!Now you can't deny your 'undying' love to Cecille Sanders!I have indisputable proof right here!...er Jake...why are your hands glowing ?" Zeak saw his camera glowing before it shattered like glass and 'evaporated' out of existence. "..Oh come on!That thing cost me five-thousand Fol!!" Zeak slumped his shoulders dejectedly as Jake carried Cecille back into his room with a satisfied smirk on his face.

* * *

(Wildlands Underground,Ruins)

Reina was amazed as she and the others walked through the ruins of what Zian who returned to his dragon form started explaining,was Dragon City,a place where humans and dragons lived before the time of the Trix. "...so in short,Dragon City used to an utopia where ideals are or rather were recognized and appreciated but as the carvings at the gate tells the rest....." Zian hung his head low in sadness at the ruins that were once a great city. Reina put her hands and rubbed Zian's smooth scales to console him at which he smiled in gratitude.

Suddenly Zian became stiff as he growled,at this Reina asked the battle-ready dragon, "What's wrong ?" Zian let loose his fire-breath into the air which dispersed into small fireballs that spread out and started floating towards the ground,illuminating

the dark ruins,revealing several dragons surrounding the small group,one of the Specialists let his guard down and approached the nearest dragon and said in a cheerful tone, "Hi there,you must the resident dragons here...." while he was greeting the dragon,his fellow 'Heroes' were waving at him to get back but before he knew it,he was slammed in the chest by a head-butt,sending him careening back to his team but he managed to pull out his enegy lance at the last moment and used it as leverage when he stabbed the tip into the ground.

"Okay,that was stupid of me...what's going on,aren't they your kind Zian ?" Zian grunted as he replied "They may be my kind but I believe that these dragons are Rouge Dragons.." Reina quickly used her powers to set up a barrier,apparently the underground ruins negated the Wildlands effect, "Rouge Dragons ?" Zian nodded "Yes,Rouge Dragons are dragons that have gone wild without any guidance,I believe that these were the hatchlings that were left behind when the city was abandoned..."

"Umm,Zian can you tell us the rest later ?Cause my arms are getting sore from the constant magic-flux!"(channeling of magical energy,causes minor strains on body) Reina feeling the side-effects was forced to release the barrier and fell down,breathing heavily from exhaustion. "Come!We must escape into the heart of the ruins!"Zian quickly used his tail to grab Reina and gently set her on his back before he set off towards the heart of the ruins and to where the Dragon Weeds grew. With the Specialists keeping up on their hoverboards,the group raced through the streets that were starting to overflow with Rouge Dragons.(1)

All the while a someone or something was watching this,it stepped out of the shadows revealing a weird-looking creature that looked like a combination of a Juggernaut and Dragon with the dragon head and wings while the rest were from a Juggernaut,although the skin was actually dragon-hide and one fist was a spiked dragon tail and the other look like a fist meld together with thick scales,acting as a gauntlet. "It appears that I'll be having dinner tonight...." the 'monster' spoke in a gruff voice as he licked his scaly lips but his smile turned into a frown as a dark portal opened up and an elf,a night elf fell through and asked him in a casual manner,"So Dragonaut,are my sources correct ?" 'Dragonaut' nodded "I thank you for telling me but my minions and I are famished from eons of eating only forest creatures I'm sorry but the deal is off,they are now my meal!Especially that girl!!"The night elf was startled as his contract was breached so he pulled out a sword,ready for combat but the Dragonaut was nowhere in sight. "Damn you!" he cursed as he re-entered the portal,back to where he came from.

* * *

Author's notes:Sorry Elina,you were only partially correct as the Rouge Dragons were just minions of the Dragonaut,but this WiVo thing is kind of fun so I'll keep it,by the way,should I keep this writing style or just go back to the last one ?Tell me in your reviews.

1.)Rouge Dragons:Dragons that have gone wild and feral,these kind of dragons have no categories as any dragon could be in their ranks from a simple Dragon Whelp(2) to the almighty Great only obey the strongest as in this case Dragonaut.(3)But they only become feral after being left in solitude for a period of time that their senses go wild,leaving them without their 'soul',making them subjective to the stronger being.

2.)Dragon Whelp:Pseudo-Dragons that are actually baby dragons in their youthful stage(i.e:teen),these kind of dragons will grow up,depending on the enviroment they're raised in,for example,should it grow up in the volcano region,it would become a Fire Dragon but there have been cases where one out of ten Dragon Whelps grow up to become Great Dragons.

3.)Dragonaut:As the story already covered,Dragonaut is a being that was created from fusing together a dragon and a Juggernaut to create it,a freak mutation when a dragon and Juggernaut battled each other but a misfire of a spell created this beast as the Juggernaut's thoughts corrupted the dragon,letting it become evil and brought the downfall to the city as it used its abilities to turn dragons rouge and subjugate them.

Okay,the explanations are over,now for....(drum roll)  
Winx Vote(1)(WiVo)  
Today's vote would be scenario vote,that means that you can try to guess the next situation in the certain part of the story next chapter,here goes. Although it would spoil the story slightly,it will be worth it  
Situation:  
Argus meets Bloom and receives a vision from her,what is the vision ?

A.)The vision of Reina in trouble  
B.)The vision about the Red Star  
C.)The vision of his future battles  
or the ever-unknowing  
D.)??????????

Okay then,have fun reading and please review  
By the way,I have a message for Anesha:When are you going to send me the details cause I have a few character slots empty in the story that I'll ask later but the story will continue,depending on how long before you send the details,so please send in the details(I.E:The story may be postponed to let you choose your role but don't worry you have plenty of time)

So this is Argus456 signing off.


	16. Chapter 15

Author's note:Since Elina wanted me to keep the writing style,I'll keep it but I won't redo the chapters in that style as it reminds me my past mistakes and good points in writing....and the fact that the chapters from 1 to 8 was gone when my computer crashed. Now,on with the story,oh and Anesha,don't worry,the info you sent me was handy so please be patient while I work out the storyline for your character's appearance.  
Disclaimer:I do not own anything that's related to Winx Club and Star Ocean:Till the End of Time but I do own the storyline and the Ocs,well most of them.

* * *

(Dragon City Ruins)

Zian has been running for a while now,although he could have flew to safety,he would've risked Reina falling off of three Specialists caught up with him,one was using a blaster,while another was using his energy bow,charging the laser arrow with each pull of the string,launching bolts of energy to slow down their pursuers. The team's leader flew closer on his hoverboard with the final member of his team behind him using his shield to repel any attacks by the Rouge Dragons. "Where are you taking us!" Zian simply replied, "To the Dragon Weeds...and safety..." the Specialist nodded as he signaled his team to stop firing and speed up.

Zian smiled as the structure of a massive dome loomed over ahead, "Hasten your pace!We need to reach that dome quickly and activate the defense barrier!" the team leader was puzzled at what he meant but ordered his team to increase their the horde of Rouge Dragons in hot pursuit,the Specialists threw out several cylindrical flasks at their pursuers and to Zian's amusement,the 'flasks' started beeping before it released mists of liquid nitrogen,freezing the legs of the Rouge Dragons in front,blocking the ones behind them from chasing them but... "Get them you fools!" a command that sounded like a roar as the dragons that were stuck started breathing fire to melt the ice while the rest climbed over their backs to continue their pursuit. _Tenacious creatures...how annoying! _Zian roared as he swiped his claws at a dragon that got too close for comfort as it tried to take Reina.

When the group reached the gates,they found it shut. "Quick there's a password needed to open it,push the button and say 'Harmony'!" one of the Specialist nodded as he ran off towards the 'button',the rest stayed behind to hold off their enemy but they were shocked to see an endless swarm of dragons charging at them,Zian used his tail and gently lifted Reina off his back and into the arms of the Specialist captain and said to him, "Take yourself and your brethren into a safe location inside the interior,I'll hold them..." "What!...Alright,but come back safely,okay ?" Zian merely snorted as he spread himself into a protective position. "Go,now!" the Specialists ran off as Zian prepared himself to face off against the horde of feral dragons.

The Specialists rushed towards the gate to push the button but found none, "Where's the button!" the Specialist Captain saw Reina point her fingers at a particular spot on the door covered in cobwebs. "Guys!Check that spot over there." his team complied as they pulled away the cobwebs to find an intercom with a voice box and a button below of them pushed the button and yelled out "Harmony!" the gates creaked as the rust fell off,opening slowly much to the group's frustration.

Zian had turned to his human form,using the form's agility and speed to his advantage as he ducked and weaved around the attacks aimed at him. Zian leaped over a dragon and breathed out a stream of icy mist as it solidified a group of dragons into a bunch of ice sculptures,although they were wild,they were still his kind. _I hope that you'll find your soul eventually..._ Zian thought as he hopped onto the back of a dragon,running up its back and used it's head as a springboard to launch himself into the air and once he was high enough,his wings sprouted out of his back and enveloped him in a cocoon-like shape before it unfurled itself,showing Zian in his dragon form. "Human!Are the gates open!I'll be coming in!" Zian went into a mad dive towards the gates and hoped that it's open by the time he gets there

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(Dream Realm,Dragon Fire Palace)

Skye had led Argus to a doorway that looked similar to the one that had Skye and Bloom kissing but the design was incomplete as the silhouettes of the kissing haven't even been started but the silhouettes gave off a familiar feeling so he tried to guess who the couple were by staring at it really hard but was slightly shocked as the image 'flickered' showing a couple he never saw before,both had blue hair,a girl in a strangely militaristic suit with a gun strapped in a holster on her hip and a young man wearing a vest-shirt with blue leg armor with a collection of swords strapped to his hip also in an intricate pattern that seems to make the swords accessible. Argus blinked when the doorway opened.

Argus was mesmerized at the brilliance of the room he just entered,the immense size of the room was decorated with paintings of Skye and Bloom as well as her companions and their beloved beside them. _I know them!Brandon and Stella,Riven and Musa,Timmy and Techna,Helia and Flora...but where's Layla and- _Argus was taken out of his thoughts when an armored hand waved in front of him, "Huh..what ?" Argus shook his head as he looked at the familiar form of Efreet. "Master Argus(remember,he beat Efreet),it is time for you to meet Mistress Bloom." Argus slowly nodded as he silently followed Efreet towards a high platform with two thrones on it and on them sat Daphne the Nymph and the other seat was Bloom dressed in the same fashion as her sister,Daphne with Skye as her Guardian and around the platforms were the other knights,their face hidden behind their helmets.

Argus immediately knelled before them in respect and recited the protocol that was embedded into his mind since childhood. "I am honored to be in your presence-" Argus' 'speech' was cut short when he felt a pair of soft arms latch around him and he was surprised to see Bloom hugging him like a mother would to her child. "Umm...err...what's going on ?" Argus asked cluelessly,Bloom quickly released Argus from her hug. "Sorry about that but you look so much like our first child at your age...in fact,you're actually the reincarnation of our first born son!" Bloom giggled like a school-girl and Skye just sighed and thought to himself _Even after all these years,she's still like the day I met her_ Skye smiled to himself,he felt a tug at his sleeves and saw Daphne pointing at Argus who was just sitting there with a blank expression on his face,simply put,he's fainted. "I guess he wasn't ready yet." Bloom felt foolish for blurting out the secret as she used her magic to revive Argus from his unconsciousness,although she no longer possess the Dragon Fire,she still retained remnants of it but since Argus currently has the main source of the Dragon Fire,her magic had no effect. "I guess I have to enter his subconscious to tell him about it,stand back while I do the ritual..." the knights distanced themselves from Bloom as she summoned a circular formation that were riddled with pictures of the stars that started spinning and with each complete rotation,the glowing increased until it blinded everyone in the room.

After the light died away,Skye and the others saw only the unconscious figure that was Argus who had a serene look on his face,Bloom was nowhere in sight,probably inside Argus' gently floated down to Argus and despite her fragile appearance,she lifted Argus off the ground and walked off in the direction of a particular door, "Daphne." the nymph turned to see Skye walking towards her, "Yes brother-in-law ?" Daphne eyes twinkled under her mask as Skye frowned ay her little joke. "This is no time for joking around,please take good care of him...and her,by the way...just call me Skye,okay ?" Daphne nodded as she opened the door and entered it before it closed itself.

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(Galactical Enterprise,Security 2nd Level)

Fayt and the others had fought their way to the next elevator as the last one was disabled so going back was no longer an option as they exited the elevator to find another group of security-droids,now armed with gatling guns that started firing the moment the group saw them. Luckily,the surprise of being so close to a gun aimed directly at him,Fayt fell back into Cliff who in turn knocked into Albel,sending the three sprawling onto the metallic floor but they saw Izak just standing there,being pummeled by the fast-moving energy bullets,covering the area in the exhaust fumes emitted by the guns.

After the firing stopped,much to Fayt's relief Izak asked in his monotonous voice, "Sargent Leingod,permission to remove Limiter on my systems." Fayt pulled out the blaster that Maria gave him,the Dragoon Laser that was shaped in the head of a dragon and replied, "Okay,but only up to 25 percent." Izak nodded as his body momentarily gave off a glow of blue energy as his circuits charged up.

While the droids were scanning for survivors but the smoke hindered their scans but the smoke was cleared as a large laser beam penetrated the smoke and the armor of three of the remaining twelve droids managed to escape the blast and 'saw' Izak with his clothes ripped in several places as well as the spots where the synthetic skin was torn,his arms were merged together to form a massive cannon that quickly split apart,returning to hands but immediately turned into liquid metal that solidified into the shape of a broadsword and a scythe before he charged headlong into the enemy,hacking and slashing,effectively destroying them and just like before,several dozen more security-droids armed with laser swords spinning like propellers at Izak who simply charged at them with Fayt provided cover-fire with the Dragoon Laser,firing off several bursts of energy that took out a few droids while providing cover for ducked and weaved between the blade attacks as well as stray shots from Fayt as he lopped off the arm of a security droid and used it's still-spinning blade to destroy the opposite droid and threw it back at the one-armed droid,chopping it to quickly stabbed at another droid with his 'broadsword' straight through it's 'chest' and out through the back,with several wires and computer chips clinging to the blade that dropped to the floor when Izak turned it into a smaller version of the cannon he used earlier and fired off a huge beam of energy,obliterating droids caught in it's line of fire and that included the one caught in his that,the fight continued.

When Fayt took out the last security-droid,something odd happened,the walls opened up and what looked like lasers and Albel went into defensive stances while Cliff and Izak just stood there,as if the 'lasers' weren't there at lasers targeted the piles of scrap metal that were the security droids and shot them but instead of blowing up,it was covered in checkered lights that started blinking out,taking the pieces of the scrap-metals with them.

When it was done,the hallway was clear of any marks of the fight that had taken place. "Okaaay...that was happened ?" Fayt questioned to no one in particular as he sheathed his and Izak inspected the wall-panels for any clues for what happened, "Izak,do you think that it's digitization ?" Cliff asked Izak in his rare moments of intelligence. "The probability of your assumption is 97.99 percent accurate but the 2.1 percentage says no since that the technology was halted when Commodore Wittcomb who was funding and heading the research disappeared but this is altered as the Commodore is here,the results speak for themselves." Izak said as he opened his 'briefcase' and took out a red trench coat with wide lapels that covered where the synthetic skin came off. "We should get going then." Fayt took the front as he led them along the halls,encountering no more oppositions. "I sense danger and yet...there's nothing,what do you think Metal Maggot!" "I'm a machine,thus I don't feel insulted Corporal Nox but as to your question,my scanner picked up a massive energy reading up ahead so its best to be prepared." Izak again turned his limbs into lethal weapons while the others took out their own weapons in preparation for the battle that may or may not happen.

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(Dragon City Ruins,City Dome)

"Aaaaahhhhh!" the Specialists screamed as they jumped out of the way when Zian came down barreling in on them as he crashed through the rusty gates,forcing it wide open. The Specialist captain saw the oncoming horde of dragons and yelled out, "Get to the gates!Now!" his team members complied as they rushed into the building before leaving behind a few 'surprises' for them.

Zian furled up his wings as he quickly stomped towards a large and complicated arrangement of computers and press his large paw against a conveniently placed panel that was a perfect fit and in response to that,a large jolt shook the stadium. "Zian!What did you do!"the Specialist captain asked with Reina semi-conscious in his arms,Zian just pointed at the gates that were now shut and the monitors lit up as they activated themselves. "That my dear gentlemen is the Defense Barrier activating,now please follow me to the Dragon Weeds" Zian smiled as he led the Specialists down a narrow hallway,that forced Zian to morph to his human form to go through it.

Outside,the dragons were ensnared in a red energy field that crackled through their nerves,stunning them and all this caused by a few dozen cylindrical 'pipes' sending out the waves of electricity,until they burnt themselves out but it was worthless now since their opportune moment was wasted as the dome was immediately covered in a blue force-field that launched out bolts of blue lightning at any dragons that got too close but they saw a particular shadow that slipped into the ruins and they knew that they would be feasting on the humans and add that Great Dragon to their ranks soon enough.

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(Argus' Subconscious,Memories Divide)

Argus had been wandering for while now at a place that was beyond reason,one part of it was his home of Eraklion while another was of Sparks,as well as a ruin of a familiar city that acted as the border and epicenter of the area and the ruin's central location was multicolored like a rainbow,each section was colored in different colors of the rainbow as well as a few extra colors. "Now where am I ?" Argus called out to no one in particular. "We are in your subconscious." Argus turned around to see Bloom smiling at him. "Come follow me..." "Why ?" he didn't get a reply so he complied and followed his 'mother'

While the two were walking,Bloom explained to Argus about him being her son's reincarnation, "...so you see,you are technically my son." Argus pondered the information he received and asked Bloom, "How can you be sure that I'm the reincarnation of your son since I have another brother back on Eraklion ?" Bloom just smiled again as she grasped his hand and led him through the gates that they've just reached.

"You may have siblings now but in your past life,you were the first male Keeper of the Dragon Fire-" Bloom was interrupted when Argus fell onto the floor and flipped himself back up again, "Oww,...that hurt...by the way 'mom'" Bloom giggled as her 'son' dusted himself off. "Yes my 'son' ?" "Aren't I the first male Keeper of the Dragon Fire ?" "Yes you are and yet you're not,I know this is confusing but you are the reincarnation of the first male keeper understand ?" Argus slowly nodded as he somehow understood her explanation.

"So,...'mom'.Why are we here ?" Argus asked as he looked around the antechamber that they had just entered,the walls were bare with the exception of faded tapestries that held the symbol of an element for each turned to Bloom and asked her another question, "If we're in my subconscious then what about the other me that's with Daphne and Skye ?" Bloom created a bubble that was like a crystal ball,it showed him in a luxurious bed being tended by Daphne the Nymph and another of him sleeping on the forest ground. "I guess you found out,what you think is the dreamworld is actually the Spirit Realm,basically Heaven,we just summon your spirit to us and as a minor side-effect,your clothes get changed depending on your personality...and as for the reason that your subconscious is represented like this,let me just show you." Bloom raised her hands as a staircase 'sprouted' from the ground into the air and Bloom motioned for Argus to get on but he shook his head in decline,Bloom frowned at this, "Either you do as I say or have fun running 2 miles up these stairs!" Argus quickly hopped on as the spiral stairway spiraled into the 'sky',closer to their destination.

After the stairway stopped moving,Bloom stepped onto the edge of a dark platform but Argus was no where in sight but a moaning was heard when Argus walked in an unbalanced manner with a hand over his slightly green face,threatening to vomit but like his last experience,he held it in ending with a small belch that was barely audible as he walked onto the platform. When Argus first stepped onto the platform,it lit up,blinding Argus as he shielded his eyes with his arms while Bloom was unaffected by the light.

After the light died down,Argus opened his eyes to see the platform he stood on held his own portraits,each one showed him in a different armors as well as his posture,as he looked beyond the platform he was standing on,he saw a series of platforms connected to the one he was standing on by bridges and staircases in a straight line. Argus was feeling a sense of deja vu as he had seen these kind of platforms before,except that they didn't hold any portraits or murals but to Argus' line of sight and the distance,statues of various people seem to be in place of the portraits but their features were indistinct because of the distance. "Argus,...let me show you a little something..." Argus nodded as he followed Bloom towards the first platform in front of them,as he got closer,Argus started recognizing a few of them,one was the unmistakable profile of his sister,Rosa Divina Erakliones with a cheerful smile on her face but he knew that his sister is really a kind of girl that likes to play started making faces at it despite it being just a statue.

"Argus,stop fooling around. I have something to tell you." the young prince grumbled slightly as he was scolded by a mother that had the appearance of a younger girl. _Oh the irony!_ "What was that!" Bloom retorted as she wanted to have a little fun with him. "Nothing!" Bloom nodded as she conjured up several spheres of light that quickly flew towards each statue and started projecting images of several people.

Argus recognized a few like his new friend,Trevor who was currently fixing the Space Spider,another image was of his sister cleaning up Kiko with a napkin while she also tickled the came the ones that he didn't know,one showed a group of four women,well three women and one girl having a pillow fight with each other as well as a few other miscellaneous people,one of the women was the one he saw on the second gateway turned to a different image that also a group of four people walking down a familiar hallway,all of them looked like they were ready for a war or something as they were armed with outdated but still lethal weapons,one of them was the blue-haired man kissing the woman. The images switched to make room for another image of a young man arranging a file folder while taking a peek at a young woman who was sleeping in a bed beside him.

Argus chuckled as he recognized the symptoms of falling in love. "Don't laugh at other's expense,especially when your in the same situation!" Argus blushed slightly as he knew what she meant but denied it and stuttered out, "I-I don't know what your talking about!" Bloom gave Argus a look that said 'I-don't-believe-you' which Argus cringed at. As he looked at the ever changing images,he saw one of an elf wearing a posh suit reading a book which then changed to show a young man wearing a loose cloak,pickpocketing some unsuspecting felt like wanting to jump in and stop his actions but Bloom asked him to watch further,the thief took the money but saw that the victim's child wanted to buy a toy for his child so he quickly slipped the wallet back into the man's pocket.

"I see,a thief with a good heart.,but what does this have to do with anything ?" Bloom stopped the images that showed the thief wandering about. "This interpretations of your subconscious is quite unique as the place we're at now shows your destiny." Argus went wide-eyed and stood back from Bloom as if she was crazy but remained in his new position to hear what she had to say, "...these images show your future friends and allies who you'll meet in events yet to come true...but you must not remember any of this and which is why after the next image,I'll erase your memory of you ever being here." Bloom used her magic to fuse the images together to create a giant screen that showed Reina reading an ancient tome while in an unfamiliar location but Argus noticed a few Specialists in the background,kneeling on the ground picking up herbs and flowers.

Argus saw a Great Dragon watching over them and he also saw a 'shadow' slinking around the area before it slipped away into a different room before sounds of metal being pounded was heard,a small explosion was heard after which to Argus' great surprise a horde of dragons that had wild looks in their eyes charge in,but to the young prince's relief they were pushed back by a stream of fire from the Great Dragon's mouth while Reina and the Specialists retreated to another room. "Reina!" Argus tried jumping through the image as if it were a portal but he passed through it before falling face first onto the platform.  
He suddenly felt a feeling of being pulled back as his memories of him seeing the statues were unknowingly being erased.

After a while,he found himself jumping out of a comfy bed with Bloom at the foot of the bed,rubbing her rear end as it was sore from landing so hard. "What happened,why am I in bed ?" Argus looked at his 'mother' as he asked another question, "Why did we end up here when you asked me to follow you up those 'stairs' ?" Bloom sighed in relief as she managed to erase the correct amount of his memories, "Nothing Argus,just nothing but I believe that it's time that you go back to the realm of the living." Argus instantly fell asleep as Bloom waved her arms at him,sending him back to his body. "Bloom,did you show him the 'warning' ?" Bloom smiled as she brushed past Daphne and said, "Let's say that I got my chance to play 'prophet' with him." Daphne just stood there like a statue as the future of future of the Magix Dimension hangs in the balance and her sister just played around with the mind of it's possible savior,the Nymph sighed in frustration as she also exited the room.

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(70 S.D,Bachtain University,Day 2)

Thomas was inside a circular room along with several of his students just watching him as he fumbled with the control panel for the holo-deck(1),he kept whispering through a communicator and received instructions, "What do you mean that I pushed in the wrong commands!" Thomas whispered angrily at the holographic image of Robert Leingod who seemingly was walking down one of the school's hallway. "Forget it,I'm coming over to help." with that Robert cut off his connection with Thomas' communicator. The young 'teacher' heard laughing from his students behind him so he turned around and found,to his surprise,another 'him' in front of himself.

"What in the Dicken's!" Thomas exclaimed as he drew out his sword,the double took out his sword as well and went into a fighting stance that was the same as the his. "Want to duel eh?...Well then,shall we?" the doubler nodded as it took the initiative as it rushed at him with it's sword swinging in quick moves. Thomas sidestepped the attack and attempted to knock his opponent out with a swift knock on the back of 'his' head with the hilt of his sword but the attack was stopped when the double turned around and blocked the attack with his own sword,setting off sparks from the impact. Thomas let out a sweeping kick to knock down his other but he jumped away,leaving an opening for Thomas to attack which he quickly used as he thrust out his weapon but all he managed to do was inflict a minor cut on his opponent's shoulder but no blood leak through the cut even though the cut was evident. "Okay...this is starting to scare me." Thomas muttered under his breath as he charged the other 'him' who smirked that served to anger him further as he began his assault on his double.

While the fight continued,the group of students watched in awe as their teacher fought against his double with an amazing display of swordsmanship,while Sophia pondered in her mind whether or not Thomas knows that he's only fighting a solid holographic image of himself. As the duel went on,the class had separated into cheering groups,one for Thomas and the other for the hologram program which was kind of foolish since the program was just a computerized version of their teacher,unfortunately,there was one advantage that the program has,unlimited stamina. Sophia had just realized this so she sneaked off towards the terminal that monitored the programs parameters and to her shock,the program had more advantages than just unlimited energy,it's parameters were maxed out...meaning that it could kill him in a heartbeat and she also saw of the commands he unknowingly inputed earlier, _Level 50_ _Battle A.I ? _as if on cue,several holograms of huge monsters appeared in the holo-deck,one of the students thought it was a joke so he walked up to it in an arrogant manner and slapped the hide of an ape-like monster that responded by punching him real hard,sending him flying into the wall which dented from the impact,knocking the student out cold.

After that,the rest of the class instantly panicked and made a mad dash to the exit but it was blocked by a monster that resembled a pterodactyl with a man that was clad head to toe in black armor,he also carried a lance that was also black,the man spoke to the students in a medieval style, "Hark!Villainous peasants dare defy the king!Thou shall be slain by my sword!" the panicked students screamed before running off in several directions. Sophia was also unsafe as an overgrown version of a Horned-Beetle charged at her,she ducked out of the way before the over-sized insect ram its horns into the terminal,damaging it as it set off crackles of electricity as it started to do weird programs like creating weather in the form of a rainstorm in the night.

With the feel of atmosphere changed,Thomas became more tense as he saw his double leading a group of 'monsters' against the defenseless students who were running about,avoiding the monsters. _Come on Tom!Think!Think!How do I fight these beasts with just a sword! _He then heard the speakers call out, 'Sword Master,Adonis Klein,Level AAA has joined the battlefield-Sword Master,Arthur Klein,Level AAA has joined the battlefield' Thomas was relieved when he saw Fayt and Robert clad in holographic armor and armed with swords that the holograms provided for them(imagine the first battle in Star Ocean) charging at the monsters as they protected the students from the monsters but two people can only do so saw Thomas running towards them,he quickly shouted out between dodging, "Computer!Registration for Thomas Leingod!Selection,Sword Master,Level cheat triple Alpha!" A series of beeps were heard before the speakers replied 'Registration for Sword Master,Adrian Klein,Level AAA complete,please enjoy your game' Thomas' clothes were immediately covered by digital armor like Fayt and Robert's and his sword seemed to glow before it seem to be also covered in the holographic light. With the armor's program increasing his strength,Thomas raised his sword,he joined the other two fighters to repel the attacks on his students.

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(Present,Galactical Enterprise,Security 2nd Level,Central Core)

The small group have reached a big room that was enveloped in bright light that was so bright,Fayt had to take out a three dark visors that the others quickly put on except Izak who just switched his internal 'eyes' to suit the their eyesight had settled,they saw a massive sphere of energy being created by several Digitizers,Izak promptly scanned the sphere and reported his findings to Fayt, "Sir,I've finished my analysis and found that the 'sphere' is an 'egg' that registers an energy value of Magnitude 2.5." Fayt's eyes widened in surprise and asked Izak, "If the 'egg' contains that much energy,how much would it register should it 'hatch' ?" Izak shook his head,showing that even him, an android with the state-of-the-art equipment has no clue on what could happen next.

As if by coincidence,the lights dimmed as the Digitizers slid back into the wall paneling which let the three remove their visors before the 'egg' started to took extra precautions and took out two of his favorite swords,the Veinslay and his ever trusty Levantine,Albel quickly switched his claw arm for a cybernetic version that his comrades gave him,the tips gave off electricity each time he tapped the claws together and armed it with the Crimson Scourge,giving the blade an electrical set the power on his Valorous Gauntlets to the maximum as the gloves hummed to just stood there with his arms turned into gatling guns that looked heavy but his robotic body allowed him to aim it perfectly.

When the 'egg' finally opened,a temporary blindness was inflicted on the group as the inside of the 'shell' let loose a white light that glared in their eyes even the blindness wore off,a strange sight greeted Fayt,the enemy they were going to face was huge and was also familiar to him as well as to Cliff and Albel, "Hey guys,are you thinking what I'm thinking ?"The two nodded in confirmation, "Thought so." the metal giant they were going to face was an eerily resemblance to the previous enemies that they defeated in their earlier adventures four years ago put together,it had two Battlecopters for arms as the propellers spun around dangerously _Note to self,stay away from _it's _arms _The torso was made up of a larger version of the security droids own torso which easily showed that the armor was quite thick,the legs were larger versions of the Interceptor's own spider-like limbs,only more heavily armored. The head was an odd version of an over sized metallic skull with deep crimson lights as pupils in the dark abyss of an eye sockets which flared to life as it made its way towards Fayt and started to ask for the pass like the first droid had, "Please present Security Card." Fayt shook his head as he ducked under the spinning blades that sliced at the spot where his head was a moment ago.

Izak opened fire with the gatling guns when Fayt was at a safe distance as each shot discharged created shockwaves of energy as the laser bullets were sent flying at their target at the rate of 100 rounds per second but it was all blocked when the Metal Titan used the propellers as active shields that repelled the attack With his guns overheating from the extensive usage of laser bullets,Izak changed his gatling guns into a bizarre choice of weaponry as the hands were just metal but the fingers have become an array of lethal blades. Also he changed his fighting style as well since it became evident when he ran up the walls and used the momentum to ran along the ceiling until he was directly above it. Izak stood still and let gravity take control as he positioned his arm-blades to slice off the head...but the Metal Titan was ready and looked at Izak before it's 'eyes' fired off two streams of lasers,enveloping Izak in the crimson ray of light.

Instead of being vaporized,Izak crashed into the wall and there wasn't a single scratch on him as he lay there,sounds of his system shutting down were heard as he slumped his head. They now knew that the red beam was an E.M.P blast,down by one fighter,Fayt tightened the grip on his swords but relaxed it as he put them away before shouting out to Cliff and Albel, "Guys!Get Izak out of here!Now!" both of his comrades realized what he was going to do so they ran over to where Izak was,Albel tried picking him up but the heavy robotic body dragged him down, "Damn!This maggot is too heavy!" Cliff ignored his complaint as he easily grabbed Izak and put him on his back before gesturing for Albel to follow him towards safety.

When the others got away from the area,Fayt slowly walked towards the Metal Titan that was observing him,sensing nothing that this human could do to harm it so it let him approach it and set it's sensors on the his comrades who were retreating away.  
When it tried to pursue them,it felt a strong force that made it stop dead in it's tracks,it scanned around for the cause of hindering it of its finally sets it's optical sensors on Fayt who was giving off an incredible amount of power that was evident as the air around him were rushing around him,creating a weak but fast tornado that intrigue the Metal Titan as this 'anomaly' was attempting to stop him and deep inside its system core,next to it was the disconnected emotion chip that suddenly sparked of a charge,reconnecting it's severed wires as best as it could and the first emotion it felt was arrogance and anger at Fayt who just looked at it with a calm but defiant expression.

The Metal Titan stomped towards Fayt and attempted to kill him with a barrage of lasers from the guns and cannons from the Battlecopter-arms but a blue aura enveloped Fayt in the form of a pair of 'angel-like wings' that disintegrated each and every particle of lasers that got too close. When the firing stopped,the wings had dissipated and the guns that the mecha used had overheated and needed to cool down so they were retracted into their compartments inside the hulking mech and increased the spinning of the Battlecopter's propellers and moved in for the kill but before it could even get within five feet of Fayt,a chunk of one of it's many legs was surrounded by a sphere of symbols before a shout was heard 'Destruction Sphere!' and the leg joint was gone,slightly crippling the mech as the body weight crippled it further,seriously slowing down its movement as the other legs kept getting tangled up with the damaged one.

While the Metal Titan was struggling to adjust to it's new 'arrangement' of its legs,Fayt took the opportunity to start the preparation for the strongest attack that his Destruction Gene could manifest. Fayt took out the Levantine as a medium for his still unstable powers. The air surrounding Fayt circled around him,and it suddenly stopped when Fayt slashed at the misty air that quickly dispersed. When the mist finally cleared,Fayt had sprouted out a pair of silver white wings from his back,his eyes were glowing and eerie blue-white light. The second emotion that the Metal Titan felt was fear as Fayt flapped his wings,lifting him into the air with a few feathers falling off the wings,giving him the look of an ethereal being. The terrified Titan tried to escape but the feathers that had fallen earlier were now restraining it in an energy field.

Trapped with no where else to go,the Metal Titan decided to give a last pitch at victory and so it did as the still cooling guns came out and prepared to open fire but the sudden heat from the lasers together with the cooling agent meant disastrous results as the guns imploded,leaving gaping holes in it's body. It looked on in fear as Fayt floated in the air,with his Levantine over his head and if anyone looked closer,they would see a glowing figure of an angel made of symbology holding a sword over her head when Fayt aimed his sword at Metal Titan,ready to unleash his destructive powers upon the cowering mech.

The Destruction Gene encoded in his blood started glowing,giving Fayt the destructive powers of a god. Channeling the powers through his fingertips and into the Levantine as he called out his attack, 'Ethereal Blast!' an immense amount of destructive energy quickly collected around Fayt and fired a blinding beam of light with the Levantine not far Metal Titan tried to escape by using the propellers turned hooks clawed it's way away from it's inevitable destruction and it shook it's head as the destructive beam of symbology hit it dead on,the beam of energy tore away the armor piece by piece before it was vaporized into nothing.

When the attack was over,the Metal Titan's body was barely intact but still operational but it all ended when the Levantine came down on its head,plunging itself deep into it's core which resulted in it exploding in an impressive display of 'fireworks'.  
Fayt landed softly on his feet before falling on his knees with exhaustion as the strain of using that attack took it's toll on him. Breathing heavily,Fayt took out a Physical Enhancer and injected its contents into his bloodstream,feeling his energy returning. Fayt slowly stood up and reached his hand out towards the pile of scarp that was the Metal Titan and the Levantine instantly disappeared in sparkles of light before reappearing in Fayt's hand,the Levantine also had the ability to choose it's own master and will return to its master's when called for. As Fayt sheathed his weapon,he heard fighting from the corridor that Cliff and Albel along with Izak escaped to. He pulled out the Dragoon Laser before running to aid his friends.

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(King's Cross,Forest area near Red Fountain)

Trevor had just completed the repairs on the Space-Spider and was currently preparing breakfast from the food in his survival pack as he saw Argus' pack was burnt to a crisp when he opened to blackened pack to dump out a pile of ash. The food was dehydrated so all he needed was some water from his canteen and a breakfast was not much as it only consisted of some slices of what looked like ham and some bread,it wasn't the best breakfast but his hungry stomach wasn't picky so his split the breakfast into equal shares with Argus and dug into his ham sandwich.

After finishing his breakfast,he saw Argus' wounds have fully healed but was still asleep which started to disturb him as time passed on,he slowly approached the seemingly sleeping form of Argus. Trevor poked him in the ribs and he didn't even stir,so as to asses his condition,he felt for a pulse and to his shock,there was none. Fearing for the worst,Trevor panicked and started shaking Argus about and when he stopped there was no change in his condition. Thinking that he could 'revive' him with an electrical shock. Bringing out a flash-stick from his pocket,he converted it into a device that produce an electrical shock similar to that of the ones used at hospitals.

Before the electrical tips could shock Argus,his eyes instantly opened wide and saw the device in Trevor's hands and screamed, "Aaaaaaahhhhhh!" this scared the living daylights out of Trevor as he dropped the still-activated device which gave Argus a quick but painful shock. After the batteries died away from the one powerful shock,Argus was fine for the most as the Dragon Fire's powers quickly healed him but his uniform was singed but was remedied when he used a quick-fix spell,leaving it as new as the time it came out of it's package. "Okay,one quick question:What were you trying to do!Electrocute _Squish _(sound effects_,expect more) _me ?" Argus asked as he upturned his boots to see a squashed sandwich.  
"Umm...er Argus,I-I thought you were dead or something so I t-tried reviving you b-b-but you..." Trevor was slipping back into his normal shy self again as he stuttered at Argus' question he stopped when he saw Argus was busy scrapping the sandwich off his boots.

"Alright now,since I ruined my own breakfast. I guess we should be going then." Trevor nodded as he pushed a button on the Space-Spider,a holographic screen opened up,showing a map of the area, "Cool!A map and it says that they're a few minutes ride away from Red Fountain,did you install it ?" Trevor nodded as he showed Argus a small rucksack that contained miscellaneous tools and parts. Argus smiled as he now knows that his new friend is a 'keeper',albeit on the shy side but he believed that Trevor will be a great friend plus the fact that he had a nagging feeling that told him that he'll be a valuable asset in the future as well as the thoughts of a certain girl in his mind.

He had no idea what kind of surprise he'll get when he gets back to Red Fountain as the Space-Spider sped of into the sky where they had a spectacular view of Red Fountain but for a moment there,Argus suddenly felt a chill went down his spine making him a bit paranoid as the last time that happened,something bad happened. _An omen?...Let's hope not..._ Argus thought and decided to shake off the feeling so he asked Trevor, "Trevor,is the turbo on this thing operational ?" Trevor smirked as he gave Argus the thumbs up and Argus in turn flipped open a panel that revealed a big red button with faded-out words that said _'Turbo'_ and pushed it but to his disappointment,nothing happened but Trevor was doing a countdown, "...8,7,6,5,4,3,2 and away we go!" the thrusters hummed to life and in a burst of blue flames,the Space-Spider zoomed off towards Red Fountain and above the roars of the engine were the screams of excitement.

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Author's note:Congratulations to you Elina,you got the correct answer...well you a technically wrong since the vision of Reina and the others were erased but you are also right so as a reward,hmmm. How about a chance of being a character in my story,then again,I'm already tied up thinking up another character for another reviewer. How about being a moderator for my forum,it's not much but maybe you can improve it,so do you want it. Tell me in your review but of course you have to log in so I can find your profile ,here's the explantion for the chapter

1.)Holo-deck:If any of you are Star Ocean fans,then you'll know what it means but for those who don't well here's the explanation:Holo-decks are basically rooms that project images like that of a communicator but the images are more realistic and one chooses,the images can become solid if the settings are a person is in need of adventure,they can select a program that lets them become the hero or villain of a story or video game but if the settings are miscalculated,the 'pain' experienced in the virtual world could kill a person so its highly advised that all usage of Holo-decks are to be supervised by experienced users or the voice-activated program in which the computer does the calculations for you.(long,isn't it)

Time for WiVo(Winx Vote)

Selection Vote:  
When Argus and Trevor gets to Red Fountain,would he find out about Reina's absence,if so would he follow her.  
If he does,will he make it in time and what wil he use to catch up to her.  
A.)A Cruiser  
B.)A Hover-Cycle  
C.)His own powers(think carefully if you choose C)  
D.)The forever unpredictable?lol  
this means that even I don't know it yet but if you choose D,you must try and guess what it is.

Okay then,this has got to be the **longest **chapter I've ever you guys(or gals) enjoyed reading it.  
P.s:I've added a bit more comedy to lighten up the mood,so should I keep it?  
This Argus456 signing off.


	17. Chapter 16

Author's note:I have to admit that my story is not the best out there and it has an unusual storyline.....but that is what makes it fun to write,must've had you going there wasn't I,with the 'about to give in mood' even if it didn't well,I had fun writing this bit. Okay then,enough with the lame attempt at being funny. On with the story!P.s:Expect a few more crossovers from other shows and maybe games to any of you are fans of Dragon Booster,enjoy!

Disclaimer:I don't own anything that's related to Winx Club and/or Star Ocean:Till the End of Time.I only own the Ocs and the storyline.

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(Dragon City Ruins,Central Dome,Inner Chamber)

The group had retreated earlier into the innermost chamber in the dome and had quickly set up a make-shift bunker from the rubble scattered about before a large number Rouge Dragons poured in through the number of entrances in the circular room and with that,the Specialists started firing with the Concussion Cannons they had set up earlier,knocking out each dragon it hit without killing them but the cannons can only do so much as the room was being swarmed as the number of Rouge Dragons started increasing.

In the middle of this chaos was Reina casting barriers around to ward off any fire-breath attacks by the dragons until she noticed a small crack starting to form on the floor but before she could warn the others the floor collapsed,taking the Rouge Dragons with it as well as Reina and the others but Zian managed to save them all again and dug his claws deep into the walls,he then tried to flap his wings but they bashed against the walls of the narrow hole but Reina saw a ledge just a few feet below them and gestured Zian to go to it who snorted before he slowly made his way towards the ledge.

Above the hole was Dragonaut with a sphere of dark energy collecting in his scaly claws before he flung it straight at Zian's it made contact with his eye,Zian's scales started turning a darker shade and his claws changed from pure white to deep black, _I...I-I'm turning...r-r-rouge! _He quickly flung the Specialists from his back before turning into his human form,negating the effects of turning rouge but he felt a pair slender arms clinging onto him. _Too heavy!_ Zian thought before his grip on the wall weakened and fell down,completely missing the ledge as well as the attempted rescue by the Specialists who launched a grappling hook but the laser string reached its limits as the energy output was pushed to the max. Screams from the two were heard as they fell down through the dark abyss and only one thing went through Reina's thoughts as she fell, _Argus!Please save me!Argus!!!!_ A tear was shed as she continued falling down into the dark hole.

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(Red Fountain,Hanger Bay on 3rd Floor of School Tower)(FYI: The floating tower now serves as the Main Armory/Dorms)

Specialists and technicians were shuffling about,either replacing worn out parts,repairing cruisers or just idling there but the idle ones stopped being idle as Headmaster Arune Saladin entered the hangar,accompanied by Orwen Cordatorta,Lord of the Fortress of Light. In the far left corner of the hangar was kept an impressive collection of Hovercycles,from the basic Wind-Rider to the latest Space-Binder and all of them belonged to Argus Erakliones who left them behind for safekeeping. The Royal Emblem of Eraklion showed that the vehicles were of his property.

Suddenly,the sounds of a jet engine was heard but none of the machines in the hangar were activated but they saw the transmission monitors shouting out a message 'Open the hangar doors now!' the technicians ran towards the nearest terminals and opened every single hangar-door in the room,since the message didn't indicate which door they'll be going in watched along with Cordatorta with good guesses of who the message came from and they were both right when a Space-Spider came barreling in through a hangar-door that just opened,and at an incredible speed,it would've crashed but it suddenly stopped and the sonic boom followed,scattering a few random parts that were unsecured in their the Space-Spider landed,Argus hopped off the vehicle and walked up to Saladin and saluted him with a grin on his face, "Rescue mission complete...Now,can I have some food,I didn't have breakfast yet." a groan was heard from his stomach which made Saladin laugh softly while Cordatorta laughed loudly, "Okay then!Let's get you a big breakfast,you too young man!" Trevor nodded as his stomach was also groaning as they followed Saladin to the dining hall.

(Minutes later,Dining Hall)

Argus and Trevor were seated beside Saladin with Rylon and Orwen on either side at the teacher's table with a sizable breakfast set in front of them, "Well then my students,you look hungry...dig in." and they did,as they stuffed their faces with food. Orwen pointed out that the two had healthy appetites and the three men laughed while the two Specialists 'ravaged' the food in front of them. '_Argus!!!!' _Argus dropped his eating untensils onto the table with a loud clang as his thoughts were pierced by another. The four other people at the table looked at him weirdly as he held his head between his hands as he shook his head about like someone who's going mad. _'Argus!Save me!Please save me!Argus!!!' _Argus fell back as he felt the force of a punch hit him before he tilted his chair backward.

Ughh...what hit me ?...Wait!Where's Reina!Reina!!" Saladin and the others covered their ears as his shouts were loud. "Oh!You mean Miss Reina ? Well,she's off to find Dragon Weed to cure the unfortunate ones in the medical tent below...they have less than 10 hours to live..." the last part was spoken softly but Argus heard it and started laughing. "What's so funny!" Argus just laughed as he promptly pulled out a few items from his pockets,a packet of silverdust,a few blades of grass,and lastly what looked like a phial of potion and laid these all on the table. "Observe the powers of Sparx's and Eraklions magi-science,Alchemy!" the others stood there as Argus performed a strange form of alchemy,he gathered two spheres of magic in his hand,and he merged them together by clapping them against each other before slamming it down on the three items on the table. "Tada!Instant Dragon Weed Essence!" he removed his hands to see a vial of purplish red liquid that was smoking. Orwen grabbed it and examined it, "By god!It is Dragon Weed Essence!" Argus had a wide grin on his face, "Yep!Just cast a duplication spell and you'll have all the cures you need...oh and about Reina...What were you thinking,sending her out to the Wildlands!" Argus' mood instantly changed from calm and happy to angry and dangerous Rylon backed away with Trevor in tow as Argus' emotions have sometimes controlled his powers which was a dangerous thing,even the mighty Orwen Cordatorta cringed slightly at Argus' incredibly fierce aura he sensed,his own aura was dwarfed by Argus',only Saladin remained calm as he experience similar characteristics from Skye back when he had an argument with Bloom during their sophomore year,although Bloom was the one with the magical powers.

"Forgive me,Argus but I didn't know about...your new powers so I had no choice but to allow her to do what she believed was the best option." Argus ignored Arune's explanation as he opened up a portal, "Argus!What are you doing!" "To where Reina is..." but after he entered the portal,he was shortly 'ejected' before it blinked out, "You should know Argus,that the Wildlands prevent usage of magic,including that of the Dragon Fire." "Darn!...Headmaster,what's the fastest vehicle we have!" Saladin shook his head as he denied Argus' request. He started walking away until Trevor stood in front of Arune, "Sir,what transport did they use and what were it's serial-numbers ?" Rylon took out a small metallic ball that projected the image of a Dropship with it's serial numbers which were DL-M21 and when he saw the numbers,he pumped his fists into the air and pulled out his own Projection Orb,and it created three images,one was the Dropship they saw earlier,another was a bunch of calculations while the last one was of the school's Simulator Room, "Gentlemen!I believe that we've found our transportation!Argus,would you please open a portal to the Simulator ?" Argus arched his eyebrows but opened it nonetheless and just at that moment,Sera ran into the room and right through the portal. "What the,come on get in." Argus gestured towards the others but Orwen said that he needed to deliver the antidote to the patients. "I also need to go as I have a few matters to attend to,would Instructor Ortedus follow them and report to us later."The three nodded as they went through the portal before it closed.

(Simulator Room)

Sera Slifer was unhappy that she somehow ended up in the Simulator Room when she wanted to grab a bite in the Dining Hall so she started practicing her fighting on a couple of monsters the simulator produced and started slicing and dicing them up with the claw and saber in her hands and sensed a presence behind her and sent her saber flying towards the 'presence',she heard the sound of the saber missing but she was surprised when she heard yelling, "What in the hell was that about Sera!" Sera turned around to see Argus' cape pinned to the wall,he pulled it out and handed it back to Sera who hugged him as she welcomed him back.

Sera apologized to Argus before she asked what he wanted, "Well...I'm going to the Wildlands to get Reina back here and Trevor here's going to help me,how I don't know but I don't care how he's going to do it." Sera grew curious as she wasn't informed that Reina was in the Wildlands, "So,Argus...need any help on this one,cause by the look of things,your equipment must be worn out their charge by now,here grab the package over there,it came for you during your mission." Argus saw a package similar to the one his uniform came from,he opened it and found a note with a smaller package inside,it said:

'I thought you might need a boost in future battles. From Saladin'

Argus folded the note before put it back into the package and took out the smaller package and it felt heavy so he slowly opened it to find another pair of armbands similar to the one Rylon gave him but it was different and it said so on a tag attached to it:

Thank you Headmaster Saladin for ordering the unreleased Battle-Armbands GX3000,the customizations you specified have been added. Hope your top Specialist uses this in many victorious battles. From Galactical Enterprise President,Olsen Wittcomb'

Argus looked to his arms to see the still badly damaged Battle-Bands and he thoughtfully removed them and turned the damaged Battle-Band turned into specks of light that moved towards the new Battle-Armbands before it started shinning with a new shape forming from the object. After the light dimmed Argus' new equipment was ready,a combination of the two armbands was created through alchemy.

"Okay!We're ready!I've set the timer for five minutes,so for those going will have to enter the Simulator,now!" the others were already in the Simulator,Trevor was the only one running to the a while,the Simulator started activating just at the same time Trevor got in. The simulator didn't start a hologram but it did increase the room's lighting to a blinding effect. "Trevor!What did you do!" Argus covered his eyes with his upraised arms but he saw Trevor also shielding his eyes and heard him call out, "Don't worry!Just wait for a minu-" he couldn't hear Trevor any longer as he suddenly felt intense pain shoot through his body as he felt it being pulled apart bit by bit and painfully too,the others also went through the same process as their body was being literally disassembled. After the machines stopped,the Simulator Room was completely empty.

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(Dragon City Ruins,Underground Passage,Specialist Group)

The four Specialists have been trying to contact Reina and Zian for the past twenty minutes already until a beep was heard from the transmitter that one of them slipped into Reina's pouches. The captain saw this and took a survival kit from their small supply pile and began a jump down but was stopped by his team. "Captain!Are you mad!" he struggled free and started giving out orders.

"Either I go down and get her back safely or all of us are going to face Saladin!I'm your squad leader so listen up!All of you try and make it back to the Dropship to call for help while I go down there and get her and our dragon-friend to safety,the scanners should be able to figure out a route out. Got it!" his friends reluctantly nodded as they began packing their equipment for the trip back to the surface.

"Here I go!!" the Captain made a dash before jumping towards the tunnel's wall and used the momentum to jump from side to side in a zigzag line down into the dark hole. His team members by then were done packing and gave a salute before starting their hopefully safe and short trip back to the surface but the 'safe' part was denied when a Rouge Dragon spotted trio of Specialists pulled out their weapons and charged at the roaring dragon.

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(Galactical Enterprise,Security Level 3)

Fayt and his friends have fought their way through a rather small number of security-droids so they had little trouble except that Izak was still inactive so Cliff was stuck carrying him while Fayt and Albel did the fighting. They had fought their way towards a teleporter which had taken them to a room that was empty save for the transporter they came through. Cliff whistled before putting Izak in a sitting position on the floor, "Sure is a big room ain't it,this is usually the time we would get one monster of a fight but I guess this is our lucky-" the room started rumbling before the wall panels opened up with several Spider-Tanks(imagine super tanks with mechanical legs)and they aimed the huge gun barrels at before they started charging the energy for the attack. "-day?" 

_'Way to jinx it!' _Fayt and Albel have already started their assault on the Spider-Tanks,Albel just went berserk and started tearing up the tank's armor with the Crimson Scourge and his claw-arm while Fayt kept the Spider-Tanks on his side busy with several Fire-Bolts that circled around their targets before it finally strikes the turrets and gun barrels,rendering them useless but a few of them used Vulcan Missile Pods that flew straight at Fayt who managed to destroy them by tossing a small EM bomb at them,causing a chain reaction that ended at the Spider-Tank that had kept up firing its missiles which led to its own destruction as its own ammunition blew it up.

Cliff was busy trying to find a safe spot for Izak to be hidden at and found a suitable spot behind the transporter steps and ran off to help his friend,he created a sphere of kinetic energy and jump into the air,right above a small cluster of Spider-Tanks and yelled out 'Hammer of Might!' and slammed the sphere into the middle of the tanks,ripping their armor apart with a dome of energy wreaking havoc on their systems as well. With their circuits fried and their armor gone,Cliff delivered a strong kick that sent the cluster of weakened Spider-Tanks a good ten feet away before they exploded and as expected,more Spider-Tanks appeared with a good number of security-droids to back them up. "I guess that it's safe to say that the good ol' Commodore likes beefed up security!" Cliff tried to lighten the mood as the three were suddenly surrounded,outnumbered and the fact that every single gun barrel the robotic opponents had were aimed at them.

"Not now maggot!!" Albel yelled as he went into a defensive position,the same went for Fayt as he raised the Levantine and Veinslay in a defensive cross. Cliff only had his Valorous Gauntlets to shield himself but it was unneeded as multiple streams of lasers suddenly pierced through the throngs of mechas before them exploded. "System rebooted,ready for combat Sargent Leingod." Izak came up with a Spider-Tank's turret on one arm and a security-droid's laser gatling gun in the other,the gun's power packs were attached to the weapons themselves so Izak didn't have to waste his own power supply. Cliff whistled at the impressive strength of the android as Izak whipped the gun quickly around and fired at the remaining number of enemies.

Clapping was heard from room's exit,Fayt and the others went into a stance,ready to face off against any more challenges but all they saw was a middle-aged man wearing a business suit as well as a small squad of tough-looking bodyguards who were armed with pulse rifles. "Stand down men." the man told his bodyguards and they did so before doing a familiar salute that Fayt had seen before,Fayt put away his weapons and gestured for the others to do the same but Izak just threw down the 'gun-parts' as they weren't part of his system.

"Glad that you still recognize me Mr Leingod." Fayt chuckled as he walked towards the man in a casual manner but the others were still slightly tensed minus Izak but he fingered the Laser Weapon in his pockets warily, "Please Commodore,just call me Fayt." the others were shocked to see that the man before them was the Commodore,the Commodore was a man who's supposed to be in his early forties by now but he looked like he was in his late twenties,his face was adorned with a full dark-brown beard,his build was slightly muscular but overall,he was an average person with the exception that he was a former commodore turned successful business tycoon. "Come,I believe you've come here for important matters,correct ?" Fayt nodded as he gestured for his comrades to follow him,leaving a mess for the Digitizers to clear up.

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(70 S.D,Bachtain University,Holo-deck,One hour since attack)

Fayt and his father were fending off the attacks on the students quite well from the hologram-monsters but their bodies were reaching the physical limits and the cowering students couldn't help since the holo-deck's handicaps prevented them from joining as there was a 'three-player' limit. Thomas saw that someone was missing but who but he can't remember who was missing,that is until a scream was heard, "Aaaahhhh!" _'Sophia!'_ Thomas ran towards the direction of where Sophia's scream came from.

"Someone!Anyone!Help me!" Sophia was unarmed and was surrounded by a number of brutish-looking monsters that resembled apes and the other Thomas was their leader but this Thomas' was now completely different from the original as his clothes had changed to black with blood red trimmings and he now has a more sinister look in his face that gave him a sort of 'bad-boy' appearance. The double sheathed his sword and approached Sophia,pulled her onto her feet, leaned his face closer to hers and whispered into her ear's "You'll make a ravishing bride for me, _ma pe'che_ ." Sophia blushed at this and also felt revolted at the same time as this Thomas was a sick and twisted version of Thomas but she also felt her heart racing for reasons unknown,an obvious possibility was that she was scared but it wasn't fear that she felt but a different emotion entirely but was uncertain of what it was. She felt her spine tingle when the double licked her cheek,leaving a trace of artificial saliva,she was grossed out by this action and pushed the double away who laughed at this before pulling out his sword. "Fine then!If that's the way you want it. I could always create a clone of you from your dead body!" 'Thomas' lunged his sword at her who tried to shield herself with her arms,knowing that her life might end at that moment as the blade got closer.

'Clang' Sophia opened her eyes to see the real Thomas holding off his other self's attack with his own weapon but he was struggling as he was at a disadvantage as the double's strength was thrice his but he had to try something. "Give it up!You'll be nothing more than materials for my new body." the doppleganger just told Thomas and Sophia his plans, "Y-you're not really a pr-pro-program are you." Sophia stuttered as she saw that Thomas was losing his footing as the artificial rain caused him to suddenly fall down. The doppleganger snickered as he raised his sword,poised for a strike, "Indeed,I'm actually a man who 'accidentally' sent his mind into the school's system and my body got destroyed in the process but this young man's body would be suitable for me." Tom was about to strike when he screamed as his hand was cleaved clear off and Fayt landed softly on his feet with a satisfied smirk on his face, "Come on!Let's move it!The students have already evacuated!" Fayt quickly ordered as Sophia helped Tomas up to his feet. "Thank you Miss Sophia...watch out!" Tom turned Sophia over quickly and used his back as a shield as the attack by Tom who had regenerated his hand earlier as well as a new sword,the strike shattered Thomas' digital body armor. Fortunately,Thomas was unharmed but slightly dazed from the force of the blow and Sophia was pinned down by his body weight. Their attacker chuckled at their predicament, "Well,well,well. Look at what we have here, _ma pe'che _on a platter with a delectable body dressing on top." the look-alike laughed at his own joke but now in a deeper voice that wasn't Thomas'.

"Thomas!Sophia!" Fayt yelled as he came back with his father as well as a couple of the school's security guards armed with pulse rifles. Thomas slowly stood up and helped Sophia up but Tom tried to stop him with a vertical slash but Thomas blocked it with the Astral Blade that was no longer encased in the data shell but was glowing with several sparkles of light circling around it. Robert Leingod was surprised at this phenomenon, '_The Destruction Gene ?No,Fayt has it,could it be Sophia's Connection Gene?' _Robert shook his head as he continued watching,Thomas suddenly lashed out with the Astral Blade at an incredible speed that made blocking nearly impossible for his doppleganger to block it,the fighting style Thomas was watching seemed as if the sword was the one doing that fight but Thomas' body movement showed that he was still fighting himself well,sort of but to Fayt,something was bit odd, _'I know practically every sword moves that humans can do but this style is new'_ As the fight went on,chunks of double's holographic body was being torn away faster than he could regenerate.

"Damn you!Blade of Fury!" he unleashed a basic but strong move that with each swing of the sword downward,a wave of energy,pushing Thomas back. When he stopped skidding back,his eyes by everyone's surprise had a glazed look which meant that he was semi-conscious until it changed from it's emerald-green into what looked like a sea of stars in the blackness of space,the sword's glow became much brighter before the glow started spreading around his body until Thomas was literally covered in a misty glow that sparkled with the brilliance of the stars in space,then the mist-like glow suddenly dispersed,revealing Thomas in a completely different outfit,or rather,an armor.

Thomas was clad from head to toe in a fantasy-styled armor of silver with space-black trimmings,the suit of armor was also encrusted with diamonds that gave it an almost out of this world look,the headpiece hid the upper portion of his face making him look mysterious but dashing at the same time. Through the dark slits in the helmet,Thomas spotted his prey,his double,running towards the center of the room before more monsters appeared,acting as shields and bodyguards for him as the security guards opened fired but with no success as their guns were suddenly snatched away by a small flying dragon-monster which just chewed it up like a chew toy before spitting it out at their feet,the guns were useless then,they were definitely useless now.

The doppleganger began laughing in a mocking tone as he felt secure with his monsters protecting him, "Come at me all you want!You'll never make it past my monsters!Hahahahahah!" the security guards backed off since their attacks were useless but Robert stood in front of them with his digital sword ready for further combat but his body was aching from protecting the students but he tightened his willpower and charged at the nearest monster but with a punch from the brute,he was knocked out cold as the last drop of energy was spent. Fayt saw this and was angered,a symbol appeared on his forehead that started spinning but no one noticed it as their attention were focused on Thomas who raised his arms above him and everyone saw that his weapon was gone.

"Astral Blades!" twin blades 'sprouted' from the edge of his armbands,one was pure silver that glowed in a luminous glow while that other was as black as night with stars sparkling on it. "Sword Dance!" Thomas jumped into the air and landed in a cluster of ape-brutes and started dancing to a rhythm that resembled a solo ballet as he used the two blades to cut down his enemies as all of them went down one after another. The symbol on Fayt's forehead was gone as he looked in awe at the graceful movements of Thomas' footsteps that seemed nt to touch the ground at all as he sped up the pace with the technique as he proceeded with his graceful but deadly ballet.

Tom looked on in fear as his monsters were being decimated at a rapid pace as Thomas was almost a blur as he danced and destroyed everything that was hostile. Before he knew it his monster troops were reduced to nothing but the four ape-brutes protecting him but they soon fell over before phasing out of existence and Thomas was face to face with Tom who just grinned as he took out two swords to match Thomas' Astral Blades and tackled Thomas who was sent flying through the air but he stabbed the Astral Blades into the ground,pulling out several wires but it stopped his mid-air 'flight'. "Hmph!What a pathetic attack!" Thomas seemed to be talking in two voices,one was his own while the other was a deep voice of an older man. "I shall show you a powerful technique.

'Dimension Door!'" A black hole appeared,surrounding Thomas as he was in a position for delivering a powerful slash in a crouching position, "Ha!Your too far away to hit me!" The black-hole instantly disappeared taking Thomas with him,no one knew where he went but in an instant,he was behind Tom and delivered a cross-slash immediately destroying Tom's body and with it's 'head' slowly phasing away, " Damn you!I could've been free..." with that Thomas sliced the program's head in half before it completely dissipated and the room's speakers announced, '_Virus Infection terminated'_ Thomas' armor quickly disappeared in flash,leaving him in his own clothes as well as his hair color,he staggered in a daze towards Sophia before he collapsed right in front of her but before his head could hit the ground,Sophia rushed towards him,allowing him to land his head on her lap. Sophia smiled as she brushed her hand through her hero's hair as he slept on her lap,Fayt felt like wanting to hit Thomas as he was like a 'overprotective brother' to Sophia but the calmness of Thomas' face as well as Sophia's smiling face at the moment calmed him down,the artificial rain,suddenly stopped as the computer returned its system to normal but everyone was still was about to go back to his room for a change of clothes when the security guards passed him and the others,towels to dry off. Fayt looked on at Sophia as she carefully wiped the water off of Thomas' face. _'I hope Sophia can take it when he leaves...wonder what it's like to be in love' _Fayt thought as he dried himself off,he also thought he saw a girl with blue hair just outside the door but she was gone when Fayt looked again, 'Who was that...well,she sure was cute.'

(School Hallway)

The young girl was running as fast as she could,her heart was racing as her thoughts kept drifting towards Fayt, '_Come on Maria!Focus!Focus!Keep your mind off of the Leingod boy!' _Maria Traydor thought as she ripped off the school-uniform she disguised herself in,letting her real clothes out as she felt herself being set free,although the place was relatively safe,Maria still kept her Phase Gun in her holster in case any Federation Troops found her out. She made it outside of the school building and pulled out a remote that deactivated the cloaking device of the Eagle,Cliff's personal Cutter-class ship,she had managed to sneak off the ship when everyone was asleep on the Diplo with it,she made it under the radar surveillances of Earth but she has a few hours before the Diplo crew woke up. She activated the thrusters and launched off back into space and quickly activated the Gravitic Warp-Drive(think of it as warping)setting it right inside the Diplo's Cutter hangar and hopes that she wouldn't get caught by both the planetary patrol units or Cliff and Mirage.

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(Present,Dragon City Ruins,Underground Chamber,Reina's Location)

Reina woke up groaning inside a room that were filled with dusty shelves that were occupied by corpses and she gasped as one of them seem to come to life,she wanted to scream but was stopped when it clasp it's hands over her mouth,it shushed her as it took off it's 'head' which turned out to be just a helmet and under that helmet was a young man in his early twenties,he had raven black hair with grey bangs, "Sorry about that,I guess it's been a long time since the stasis field was shut off." the man dusted himself off,showing his white and blue uniform,he looked like a racer,of what sport,she didn't know but she saw a glittering amulet on his neck,it was a gold amulet with a star as an insignia. Rumbling footsteps were heard as a weird looking dragon entered the room,it was blue with a red underbelly with white stripes bordering the two colors,the dragon was huge but it didn't look threatening so Reina lowered her hands.

"Oops!I forgot to introduce ourselves,my name is Artha Penn and this is my dragon and friend, Bucephalus but you can call him Beau for short,and you are ?" Reina scratched under Beau's big chin as the dragon 'purred' and tried leaning in for more but fell head-first onto the dusty floor,Reina curtsied in front of Artha, "I am Reina Leah Til Alexandros,princess of Alexandria." Artha snickered as he didn't believe her words,making Reina puff up her cheeks,she also conjured up an amulet that had the symbol of the Alexandrian Royal family which convinced Artha of her regal status. Artha bowed before Reina albeit,in an clumsy way. Reina giggled at the young man's antics until she heard the clip-clop of steel-toed boots, "Okay Hero boy,you better have a good explanation why you're with another girl!" A young woman entered the room,her clothes were of a colorful variety of pink,yellow and teal in a lightning fashion,her clothes,just like Artha's looked suited for racing,her hair was blue that became lighter as it grew longer,and a pink hairband were sported.

Reina quickly stepped away from Artha and waved her hands at the girl,telling her that it wasn't what it looked like. The girl laughed as she slapped Artha in the rear,making him 'squeak'. "Sorry about that,Hero boy here is my boyfriend but he tends to be too soft for his own good. By the way,I'm Kitt Wann." Reina shook Kitt's hand and introduced herself again, "Um,excuse me Kitt but have you seen a guy named Zian around,he's actually a Great Dragon in human form." the couple looked weirdly at her, "We never heard of a Great Dragon...Wait!I forgot!What year is it ?" Reina arched her eyebrows and answered the question, "Well,it's exactly the third of October in the year 5300 T.D(Time Date)" Artha sat down unceremoniously onto the dusty floor, "Man,we're too late...by 1000 years,Dragon City must be in ruins by now." Kitt hugged her boyfriend to comfort him, "It's okay Artha,it's okay." Artha sighed in frustration and lashed out at Kitt, "What are you talking about!I couldn't stop those Army of Decay!I'm the hero!I'm the Dragon Booster for god sakes!" Artha pushed Kitt away before running off,leaving the two girls and dragon behind. "Umm,I don't mean to pry but what's a Dragon Booster ?" Stomping was heard and Beau bared his teeth as he growled at the entrance just behind Reina,Zian walked through it and he was holding his head between his hands as he moved about until he suddenly felt better and stood straight.

"Okay,now that I've got that out of my mind-" Beau suddenly glowed a bright color of gold before launching a ray of light that sent Zian flying but he quickly recovered from it. "Stop this dragon-kin.I am one of your kind... Arghh!" Zian's eyes glowed dark-red before he went berserk as he transformed halfway through to his dragon form but it looked like he was trying to stop it. "Wyldfyr!Mag-Blast!" Kitt yelled out as a two legged red dragon ran in before sending a blast of red energy,this time forming a restraint on Zian. "Kitt!What's wrong with Zian!" Reina was scared at the dark and sinister look in Zian's reptilian eye and the look of suffering in the human one. "He's infected with the Rouge Draconium Virus!I have the antidote,Beau!Help Wyldfyr hold him down!" Beau nodded as he sent out a bolt of gold light at Zian,creating a stronger field of energy to restrain Zian. Meanwhile,Kitt took pulled out what looked like a small pod but it extended in a bo-staff with a syringe-like point at it's tip,she inserted a vial of what look like liquid the staff before throwing it at Zian with a direct hit as the contents of the vial was injected into his bloodstream which resulted in a thunderous roar that threatened to make them deaf.

After the roaring stopped,Reina removed the sound buffer that she created earlier to protect their ear drums,although Beau'ss movement was slightly wobbly as his sensitive ears picked up the roaring even with the buffer but he recovered when he shook his huge head but he knocked against of the shelves,making the 'corpse' fall down, "Beau!Be careful with my Rider Gear!" Kitt dusted the 'gear' off and Reina saw a sort of a seat similar to those of the Wind-Riders but it looked more advanced and ancient at the same time. Reina looked at the heaving form of Zian in his human body,she cautiously approached him, "Zian...are you fine now,I can cast a healing spell,although the effect it'll have is quite minor since I never paid to much attention in class." Zian smiled at Reina's seemingly unlimited kindness before he slowly turned to a sitting position and said in slow breaths, "I..will...be fine...just let...me rest...for...a...bit." Zian slumped over in his sitting position and snoring was heard from him.

"He's asleep but he'll wake up in a few minutes,the air here helps speed up the healing process of any living creature." Kitt reassured Reina as she dusted off the 'corpses' and like the one before them they were also 'gear' but all of them looked different,one looked like a sleek red pod with the number 8 printed on it,but she didn't have time to examine the other 'gears' further as Artha ran into the room screaming with a pack of Rouge Dragons chasing after him,he quickly slammed the door shut before the ravenous reptiles could get to the door but pounding was heard as the wild dragons started ramming it,creating huge dents in the door. "Beau!Mag on your gear!And get me my armband!" Beau nodded as his body once again glowed and sent out bolts of energy throughout the room,pulling several 'gears' from the shelves and onto him as Beau magnetized a number of gears onto his body in an assorted manner that made him look like a Battle-Dragon(1) that were part of Alexandria's cavalry unit. Beau also sent a 'Mag-Blast' towards a mound of dust before pulling out a golden armband towards Artha, "Thanks Beau!" Artha climbed onto the rider-gear behind Beau's head and took out the star insignia from the amulet and inserted it into a star-shaped slot on the armband that he equipped, "Release the Dragon!" Artha was suddenly surrounded by golden lights that swirled around him,turning his clothes into a blue-body armor with golden armor plates on the various body parts like his limbs and chest armor,there was also a V-shaped pack on his back and the helmet looked like a dragon's head with the mouth area open with a visor covering his eyes.

When the transformation was complete,Reina saw that Beau had suddenly changed into a black dragon with gold stripes outlining his body as well as fin-like appendages below the crook of his neck. "Okay boy,we're ready for anything now!" Artha pulled out a blocking-staff as the door suddenly burst opened with Rouge Dragons rushing in after another but were stopped by a burst of flames from Kitt and Wyldfyr who had a pair of thrusters producing the flames, "Reina!Get your friend out of here,Artha and I will hold them off!" Reina used a spell to decrease Zian's weight as she carried him away to safety but the door that was suppose to lead to safety but it was suddenly blocked off by a hideous beast that was a hybrid of a Juggernaut and a Great Dragon,namely, "Dragonaut!" Beau launched Artha into the air with a Mag-Bolt,charging his armor with energy and Artha channeled the energy by launching a barrage of gold energy bolts through his hands but Dragonaut created a wall of dark energy,absorbing the blasts.

"Hehehe,still angry that your attempt at time traveling failed eh,Dragon Booster ?" Dragonaut laughed before breathing a stream of fire at him,sending him flying through the wall,creating a huge hole that Beau jumped into to help Artha as well as a number of Rouge Dragons that managed to slip through Kitt's defense. "Artha!" Kitt yelled as she and Wyldfyr also jumped through the hole,leaving Reina with an unconscious Zian to fend for themselves but Zian opened his eyes and leapt from Reina's grip and into the air before turning to his dragon-form, "Ha!I haven't felt this invigorated since I was a pup!" Zian roared as he unleashed a huge stream of fire at the enemy before he slammed into the ground,creating a tremor that knocked everything down,including Reina who quickly got up and took out a blaster that she had obtained from Red Fountain's armory and fired off lasers that went in zig-zag lines which confused the Rouge Dragons before they got hit by the blasts. "What did you do!" Zian was worried that the dragons that were hit were killed but Reina just responded in a quick manner, "Don't worry Zian,this is a stun-blaster." Zian snorted at his mistake as he bared his sharp teeth at the Rouge Dragons that were surrounding them and their numbers seemed endless,this discouraged Reina's earlier bravado.

"I see that you are nervous about our situation..." Reina huffed in anger,hiding the fear behind her anger but it faltered as more and more Rouge Dragons,all that were holding them back was the commands of the Dragonaut who was eying Reina in the same manner when a person is eying their food and Reina didn't like it one bit, "...climb onto my back now!" Reina hastily did so before Zian roared,making a few of the dragons step back before they were blasted by a bolt of concussive energy,knocking them out,clearing a path and the Specialist Captain coincidentally landed on Zian's back with a concussion rifle in his hands. "Miss Reina!You're alright ?" Reina pointed at the massive numbers of the enemy,closing up the 'path' but the Captain threw a stun-grenade that made sure their escape route was secure before Zian galloped off with his passengers to safety,soon pursued by the Rouge Dragons and Dragonaut roared at how his prey easily escaped him.

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(Galactical Enterprise,Corporation President's Office)

Olsen Wittcomb was sitting in a comfy armchair inside a cosy room that didn't resemble any office that a president of a business would use,Fayt and Cliff were seated across him in similar armchairs while Albel was admiring the various collection of swords on the wall and Izak was no where in sight. "Well,as you can see. I'm very much alive as well as the rest of my crew along with a few other ships from the defense force that protected Moonbase four years ago." Fayt nodded in understanding while Cliff was curious to find out more as he asked a question, "How did you survive that blast from the Executioner(2) ?...and how come you're so young ?"

Olsen cleared his throat before answering the questions Cliff asked him, "Well,to do that we'll have to view a few scenes that we managed to capture from the Calnus shuttle and the Aquaelie's ." Olsen pressed a button on the desk panel and the room darkened before a huge screen was projected from the wall. The screen showed the battle between the Aquaelie between an Executioner...

The Aquaelie,an impressive vessel outfitted with a huge array of weaponry and it was facing a gigantic being that resembled a demon with a pair of torn up wings,barricading the way towards Styx,a barren world where it contains a passage towards 4-D Dimension and the Shuttle,Calnus was clearly seen escaping the battle and towards Styx while the Aquaelie kept the Executioner occupied. The Aquaelie made the first move by firing every single weapon that it had,including the Creation Cannon(3) that hit it's target dead on. As the firing stopped,the Executioner came out unscathed and it prepared a Symbology spell,the Aquaelie started it's engines as it charged at the demonic being with everything the vessel had as the again started firing but it was in vain as the spell struck first,enveloping the ship inside a 'cacoon' of Symbological energy before it winked out of existence. The video switched over to the internal cameras of the ship that 'disappeared' moments ago. The ship was still in good condition but it seemed to be traveling through a tunnel that seems similar to the ones seen during Gravitic warp.  
When it exited,the Aquaelie ended up in a totally new dimension along with other cruisers that got hit with that screen turned off before the room lit up again.

"As you can see,my crew and I survived and the reason to that was unsound,that symbology spell was a displacement spell,created to well,move objects to different locations as well as rearrange our molecular structure,we found out about this from the help of the headmistress of Alfea,a school of magic." a child suddenly burst into the room,the child was quite young,a toddler to be precise, "Papa!" the boy leap into Olsen's arms,a woman entered the room carrying some toys,followed by a middle-aged woman dressed in an elegant manner. "I'm sorry dear,our little Jon-Jon,escaped his nanny to see you." the woman laughed good-naturedly, "..and for obvious reasons,you are quite the family man,turning the top floor of the company into his personal this rate,you'll spoil him beyond his teen-hood."

Olsen tickled his little 'Jon-Jon' but became serious again as he handed his son back to his wife, "As you can see,I'm married here,opposed to my bachelor days in the Federation. This is my wife Joanna.." Joanna smiled as she waved at them, "..and my son Johnathan." Jon-Jon peeked out behind his mother's legs before smiling and waving at Fayt but shied away from Albel as he was in Jon-Jon's term 'Scawy' which meant scary,Fayt saw this and whispered to the boy, "Don't worry,he's nothing but a grouchy man,give him a nap and he'll be fine." Jon-Jon pointed to Cliff and his bulky body,Fayt snickered and answered, "Him? He's nothing but an overgrown fuzz-bear." Jon-Jon laughed at Fayt's joke. _'Wonder what the kids that Maria and I will have be like ? Hopefully,they'll be just as adorable as this little guy'_

Fayt turned towards the ex-Commodore and asked him, "By the way,Mr Wittcomb,where's Izak ?" "He's being repaired and upgraded with new systems as well as an advanced emotion chip the company developed,he'll be a totally new person when my robotics engineers are done." and it did as a cheerful looking Izak entered the room with his suitcase over his back. "Hello Fayt,pleased to see that you're healthy...why hello there little boy,what's your name ?" Jon-Jon saw the sincerity of Izak's voice and answered in a quiet voice, "It-it's Jon-Jon." Izak smiled as he removed the Laser Weapon from his pockets which made Fayt very uncomfortable but relaxed when Izak started taking it apart quickly before reassembling it into a small toy-robot, "Well Jon-Jon,meet your new friend,Mikey." the little robot lit up and waved at Jon-Jon who gigled as he took Mikey into his little hands. Izak smiled at this before he stood up again and talked to Olsen, "Mr Wittcomb,I believe that we have something to discuss with you,so if you please..." Olsen gestured for his family and nanny to leave the room,leaving the five alone to talk about a certain mission.

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(Diplo II,Jake's Room)

Jacob Cain was busy reading the report of the battle earlier,he frowned at the number of casualties and also at the amount of damage inflicted on the surviving vessels and all of it caused by three small but powerful fighter-crafts. As he continued reading,Cecille stirred in her bed,mumbling words that he managed to gather, 'Kiss me,Jake.' Jake blushed before he smiled again and tucked the blankets further to ensure that she remains comfortable but in doing so,Cecille stretched out her arms and caught him in her arms,pulling him close like a teddy bear.

Fortunately,he managed to switch himself with a nearby pillow at the last minute before he was completely pressed against her chest at which he felt embarrassed at the close call of another slap to the face,the last one he got still stinged_. 'I wonder how_ _come I'm so open up to Cecille of all people ?' _Jake knocked a book off one of his shelves,it fell open and it was his family album,he picked it up and flipped to the first page,it showed him as a baby,playing with his toys and being cuddled by his flipped to the next page,it was of him in his kindergarten days which contained various pictures,his first 'A' his first friend who was currently aboard the ship,and also...his first crush,which showed a little girl kissing him on his cheeks but he remembered how he reacted back then when he kissed her back on the cheek too as he was raised as a gentleman,and a young one at that which was quite odd as any other child would either scream or just stand there like a statue and under the picture,it described the situation, 'Jake Cain,age 6,being kissed on the cheek by Cecille Sanders,age 6. "Huh?" Jake blinked his eyes before rubbing it and reread the words and he quickly turned the pages to the next one, according to the words written down,she kissed him on the cheek again he was eight years old by then and he was blushing in the picture with the exact same pose in the kindergarten picture. The next photo was showing him a picture of himself before the day before the 'incident'.

He looked at Cecille mumbling more words of affection before turning over the next page which showed the funeral,he and several others were dressed in mourning clothes,his uncle Andrew was behind him watching as he cried on Cecille's shoulders who was comforting him but she was barely recognizable behind the veil. He kept turning the pages,observing the ones that Cecille were in but as he turned each page,Cecille was beginning to 'disappear' in a manner of speaking as the photos showed less and less of her until high school where her last appearance was in the background of the prom dance where Jake was annoyingly surrounded by the 'fiancées' that his uncle and aunt had set him with although most of them were fakes while the real ones were using their body to impress the handsome Jacob Cain who was by then sixteen before he joined the Federation.

Jake suddenly had a migraine as the book fell to the floor as forgotten memories were awakened in the deep recesses of his mind,most of which were sweet ones but the more recent ones were bittersweet and painful. He saw his hands glowing with the traits of a symbology user,he was an adept user of symbology. When the glowing stopped,he felt like a heavy burden was lifted off his shoulders but he hasn't felt like this since the day Cecille last kissed him. He touched his cheek as he reminisced his newly recovered memory.

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(Wildlands,Dropship Interior)

The dropship that the Specialist squad used earlier was completely empty and quiet,save for the wildlife outside. A portal suddenly opened up on the ceiling and dumped out it's contents in order, Argus came first before Sera landed on him and jumped away before Rylon and Trevor both came down on Argus as he groaned in pain but he felt another 'call' for help from Reina,with an incredible burst of strength,he forced the two off his back before he grabbed a nearby Navigator(i.e:G.P.S) and rushed out of the exit of the ship before the others realized that he just took the only way of finding the Specialist team that accompanied Reina.

When they got out,they were shocked to see Argus basically tearing apart the trees well,his aura which resembled an armored knight did as it somehow became solid was ripping each tree it grabbed apart before throwing the remains away and the remains turned into flowers and small saplings,making up for the damage he's causing. "Amazing,even in this state,the Dragon Fire creates new life from destruction." Trevor took out a tranquilizer gun and squeezed out most of the contents,leaving the tranquilizer as a sedative before shooting it into the back of Argus' head,he calmed down as the aura disappeared. Sera walked carefully towards Argus with a tranquilizer dart in her hands in case she needs it. "I'm sorry about that but I keep hearing cries for help in my head from Reina,each time she calls out,it hurts..." he sighed as he stood up,calming his anger before he activated the Navigator,and read the coordinates. "Come on,it says that they're in a nearby cave." Argus ran off,followed shortly by the others.

"Help!" Argus saw three Specialists severely injured,slowly helping the middle one whose leg was bleeding heavily and contorted in a painful manner. Sera took out a medic pack from her pack and proceeded to heal them but Argus stopped her, "Don't waste it,I'll do it,the area here seems to have a weaker hold on magic so I'll do the healing..." Sera nodded and moved,allowing Argus to perform his healing powers. He spread his arms out so as to heal all three,his hands starts glowing before he sent three spheres of energy to the body of the injured Specialists,Argus clenched his teeth as he exchanged his health to heal the three.

"Rraghh!I can't hold it!" Argus stopped the spell before he killed himself,the three were still hurt but far better than before but the same couldn't be said for Argus as he was bleeding all over his body,he stood up shakily before falling down into a kneeling position,gasping for breath as Sera automatically started treating his wounds as best as she could,  
"Where is she ?" Argus asked but all three of them were still dazed from the spell so they remained silent, "I said,WHERE IS SHE!!!" one of them pointed at the cave entrance and Argus grabbed a vial of healing potion from his pockets and ran off while his wounds healed but only to a minor extent. "Argus!Wait,damn his ,Slifer!You two take them to the ship for proper treatment and meet me inside." Rylon felt a hand grab his,it was one of the trio, "Here,it shows a shortcut to Miss Reina's location." He nodded before he also ran off to follow Argus.

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Author's note:Sorry Anesha,you got the answer wrong but don't worry,you'll get another chance.  
Ok then,here are the explanations:

1.)Battle-Dragon:A dragon equipped with light but strong armor that are installed with projectile weapons for aerial combat like laser-guided net-traps for capture missions or lasers that can be set from stun to kill a boasts a high regard to their Aerial Calvary Dragons as opposed to Eraklion's Iron Claw Griffins(4) and Spark's Sky Dragon Defenders(5)

2.)Executioner:A terrifying beast that Fayt and his comrades had faced in their previous adventure,these Executioners consisted of the angel-like Proclaimers that kill while, 'proclaiming' that your judgment day has come to the Enforcer series that varies from machines to more organic beasts and up to the ever powerful Convictor that has incredible capabilities but were fortunately wiped out when Fayt and his comrades accomplished their quest.

3.)Creation Cannon:A type of weapon that has enough power to destroy an entire planet if used unwisely as it power source comes directly from the ship's engine core,each blast will drain away about a quarter of the engine's power which means that one ship can fire it's cannon four times,before the core needs to regenerate more power but the sheer instability of the power is deadly so usage of this kind of power is limited for usage in space and must be only used in emergencies only.

4.)Iron Claw Griffins:The mainstay of Eraklion's sky cavalry unit,a griffin is equipped with extremely durable armor and each griffin is equipped with a pair of shoulder cannons as well as swords,allowing the rider to fight any boarders. It ranks third to the Alexandria's Aerial Calvary Dragons while the Sky Dragon Defenders of Sparks'

5.)Sky Dragon Defenders:The dominator of the skies,a sky dragon is a special breed of dragons created by Oritel and Miriam,father and mother of Bloom when they returned from their self-imposed exile,although these dragons aren't equipped with any special equipment save for the concussion cannon on it's underbelly that's controlled by the dragon's thoughts. The riders are given the most credit as they often jump off their saddles and glide off with a hang-glider that unfolds and folds up at the push of a button,they will glide about with various weapons at their disposal but the most commonly used is the Missile Lance that fires of a small missile before replaced by a laser blade.

The last two is just to save space in the next chapters. I have a question for my readers,  
Do any of you remember the name of that pompous lord of Eraklions that hired those Power Ranger wannabes to kidnap Diaspro in season 2 ?(p.s:Also please include the names of the hero wannabes. thanx)

WiVo

Scenario Vote:  
Will Argus reach Reina in time,especially in his injured he does,will he be able to fend off the Rouge Dragons?  
How will he do it ?

A.) Use the new Battle-Armbands just like he did at the battle of King's Cross.  
B.) Perform the Fire Arts again  
C.) Go berserk and tear Dragonaut to pieces  
D.) Still the ever unknown ?

So did any of you enjoyed the new crossover I added in ? If not,care to see Dragon Booster on before passing 'judgment'(aka review) TTFN,this is Argus456 signing off.


	18. Chapter 17

Author's note:Don't worry about the last comment I made last chapter about giving up on this story cause I won't. Besides,it's so much fun writing this story. Now on with the story!

P.s:If any of you are wondering why I gave Izak an emotion chip is that it's hard to write unfeeling characters and the fact that my story needs him to have emotions for later chapters. Please note that the chapter will mostly revolve around Argus and Reina's events while other situations will be added.

p.s.s:Does anyone know the name of the power ranger wannabes in the 2nd season of the show? I need it for references in later chapters

Disclaimer:I don't own anything that's related with Winx Club,Star Ocean:Till the End of Time or Dragon Booster,I only own the Ocs,the plotline and the other little details in the story.

* * *

(Dragon City Ruins,Dark Plains)

Zian was still running from the relentless Rouge Dragons but the Specialist Captain made things easier by tossing a few stun-grenades slowed the pursuers down. Reina helped a bit by firing her stun-blaster at the ones that got too close for comfort. "Zian!Where are we!" Reina shouted as she barely ducked under a claw that swiped passed the spot where her head had been.  
The Great Dragon examined the area while running,he saw several salamander-like lizards that were surrounding the area. "I don't know but I know this,we're having company ahead!Hold on tight!" Zian quickly spread out his wings before he launched himself into the air with a forceful leap just inches away from being attacked by what Zian had confirmed already, "That was close,we were almost ambushed by Hydrags(salamander-like dragons that are unpredictable and quite dangerous)

Reina sneaked a peek below them to see the Hydrags joining their pursuers in their chase,she tried firing her stun-blaster but it refused to fire and projected an image of smoke,indicating that it's overheated and it needed time to cool down. She sighed in frustration as she tucked the weapon away but found a strange device in one of the pouches,it was a cylindrical object similar to the grenades the Captain used until she realized that it was one and it started bleeping so she tossed it in panic and coincidentally,it detonated not far from the enemy and froze a good number of them. The Captain smiled at her,thinking that she did it on purpose, "Great work,now if you have any more,can I have them,I just ran out of grenades." Reina slowly nodded as she rummaged through the pouches,careful not to set off anymore bombs if there were any.

After thoroughly searching the pouches,Reina had pulled out a small armory's worth of weapons which consisted of five sabers,two energy claws,four laser whips,two standard blasters,ten mini-grenades and an assembling-kit for a small rifle. '_I guess Sera forgot her stuff when she gave me this outfit' _the Captain took these and started taking some of them apart,Reina was puzzled at his actions so she asked him, "What you're doing there ?" he was concentrated in his work but he managed to talk while working, "I'm working on constructing a make-shift Metabolic Decelerator." Reina had a look of confusion on her face,the Captain sighed, "In English,a Stun-Cannon." Reina nodded as she realized what he was doing. "... I think it'll help us escape much more easier...almost ...done!" the Captain showed Reina and Zian who shifted his head slightly to watch the device,it looked like an oversize rifle as it was made from the assembly kit as well as parts from the other weapons,now they were left with two sabers,one laser whip,and one blaster as the mini-grenades were now in the Stun-Cannon as a secondary grenade launcher.

"Nice toy you got there." Zian by then had stopped flying forward and was keeping himself in the air as Dragonaut was in front of them,the hybrid creature had dragon wings with areas covered in clumps of puplish flesh that had spikes growing out of them and to make matters worst, Rouge Great Dragons had also surrounded them and two of them were the ones that Zian brought along, "Sirun,Siron!...Damn you,you demon!" Zian became angry and was about to charge into battle until he remembered that he had passengers but the Captain saw this as he grabbed Reina by her hands and gave her a small pack, "Take this,it's a survival pack. Use the air-glider(similar to hang-gliders) inside,we'll hold them off!" He pushed Reina off Zian's back as he prepared the new weapon he made. He saw Reina activate the air-glider and sped off to somewhere hopefully safer than here. _'I sure hope my friends made it out okay' _"Alright!Let's go!" Zian nodded as he flung the captain for a point of firing the weapon in the air while he dealt with the immediate foes.

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(Wildlands,Cave Interior)

Argus kept running as he navigated his way with the holographic map provided by the machine he's carrying,he found two ways to Reina but the both paths the map showed would take too long so he tried to do a direct approach. "Alright,here goes..." Argus thought of the teleportation spell that Reina used,he started concentrating on the image of her since he last saw her when he passed by her on his Space-Binder to his mission,she looked so beautiful in that outfit but the look on her face was so sad. _'Why am I wasting my time daydreaming!I must save her!' _In a moment,Argus disappeared in a flash...

Rylon was running towards the spot where he thought he saw Argus but he was no where in sight so he took out the Navi-Link the Specialists,he examined the paths and noticed that two blips were separating from each other which meant that Reina is currently alone and the same went for the missing captain. He rushed off in the direction of the tunnel entrance that the Specialist made earlier.

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(Galactical Enterprise,President's Office)

Izak has just finished his explanation while Fayt and the others sat there,waiting for Olsen's response which was unexpected as the man started laughing uncontrollably, "Sir!I believe that the threat of an inter-planetary war is hardly a laughing matter!" Izak 'scolded' the illustrious ex-Commodore who quickly recovered from the stitch he got from laughing so hard. "Forgive my manners but it seems that the ones your putting the blame on are the three principals of three colleges." Fayt's eyes perked up as the word college reminded him of his days as a student at Bachtain University,he certainly had a lot of adventures back then,he stopped daydreaming as he asked, "What do you mean ?...that the whole thing could be caused by a bunch of schools ?"

Olsen walked to his desk and pushed a button similar to the one that he pushed earlier for the recordings of four years ago but this one had a different function as the floor opened up in the middle and a platform with a detailed model of the area which was tagged 'The World of Magix' and the forest they crashed into earlier was called 'Wildlands' as well as the city, 'Adquistes' and beyond it was another city,marked 'Magix' with three more structures around a lake called 'Lake Roccaluce' each structure were marked as follows, a building on top of a mountain, 'Cloud Tower', a low-level wide-arc building, 'Alfea' and a large compound filled with several buildings and a hovering tower, 'Red Fountain'. Fayt touched the Red Fountain mark and screens of the school's environment as well as a number of facts about the school and it's past. "Interesting..." Cliff became curious so he pushed Alfea's marker and it did the same and he wolf-whistled at the pictures of the beautiful students but whined when he saw them accompanied by boys. "I wouldn't think like that Cliff,Mirage wouldn't be happy to see you 'chasing skirts'." Fayt mocked as Cliff mumbled as he activated the Lake Roccaluce marker and a picture of a portal before screens of a magnificent fortress bathed in light with the marker 'Fortress of Light' Cliff pushed it but nothing happened,Olsen interrupted him and said, "Sorry about that but that's classified,as per agreement with the Fortress' Lord." Albel had just finished testing out the strength of each sword but he said, "They may look impressive but they're nothing compared to my Crimson Scourge." "Mr Nox,I believe I've found a place where you might find a potential life partner." Izak pointed at the images he had brought up from Cloud Tower,several moody but beautiful girls were shown on the screens. Fayt and Cliff started laughing at the prospect of Albel settling down with a girl.

"Shut it maggots!" Albel glared at the images of each girl he saw until, "Zelpher!?" Albel was looking at an image of a girl that looked almost exactly alike to Nel Zelpher,a fellow Elicoorian,and comrade in battle years ago and also his rival in combat. "What!Nel ?" Fayt and Cliff ran over to Albel's position and saw that he was right,a young red-headed girl wearing a white tank-top with a black leather vest and simple black skirt with a lopsided belt buckled at the side,she was an exact image of Nel minus the look of seriousness on her face. "Ah,I see you have seen Miss Mirta,she's actually over two-thousand years old but thanks to magic,she's as young as the day she graduated,she now serves as a councilor at Cloud Tower and when I first met her,I thought she was Miss Zelpher but I guess that I was wrong. Oh,and Izak,would you mind and download the information in the platform ?" Izak nodded as his finger opened up and a socket popped out as he inserted it into the closest terminal for the downloading.

"Umm,Olsen,how come you want Izak to download this information ?" Izak just unplugged the socket, "Well,ask him yourself." Izak was projecting several holographic screens that showed the past events of Magix up to the current events that was happening,when he was done he approach Olsen and asked, "Sir,have there been any sightings of Federation Troopers attacking Red Fountain ?" Olsen seemed surprised as he hasn't read the weekly reports that Saladin sends him about the activities as he was sometimes invited with his family to the school festivals,he quickly ran over to his desk where an envelope was and he quickly opened it and read several letters before he slumped into his seat with a morbid look on his face,Fayt was worried about him so he stepped towards him but Olsen tossed the envelope at him. Fayt started reading:

_My dear friend,It appears that the services of Red Fountain is again needed after two thousand years of training. It appears that several men attacked my school with weapons that seem similar to ours but were different in as they were created from magic,dark magic. I hope that you'll warn the city of Adquistes about this this and put up defenses and hope that they won't have 'friends'.I've included pictures of the battle caught by a security camera. Your Friend,Arune Saladin.  
_  
Fayt looked at the picture clipped at the bottom,his eyes widened when he saw the contents of it, Federation Troopers attacking people younger than he was,sixteen to nineteen maybe,they were holding out pretty well but attacking people with or without authorization is very disgraceful but as experience had taught him,the Federation had no qualms about this sort of action. Fayt glared at the picture, _'Jake,you better not be the one that did this but if you are...' _"Izak!Can you patch me through to Jake's ship ?" Izak nodded and started working on the communicators.

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(Dragon City Ruins,Track Ruins)

Dragon City beside being a place of peace when Artha as the Dragon Booster 'purified' the city of any evil,it was also a place where Dragon Racing was held but after the 'purification' Dragon Races were only held on special occasions,that is until the Army of Decay changed everything. Unfortunately,Artha and Beau were on a damaged track which was falling to pieces,surrounded by Rouge Dragons while Kitt and Wyldfyr were hurt from the fall,Artha survived the fall since Beau spread out his fin-like wings to glide safely down while Kitt barely made it when she turned on the thruster gears at the last minute but burned out the last of Wyldfyr's Draconium at the last 30 feet and fell down heavily,Kitt was now holding the Rouge Dragons back with a staff and a trapping gear that launched a pod which captures the Rouge Dragons in a restraining green energy but she can only do so much as Wyldfyr was busy restoring her energy to help Kitt but was relieved when Artha and Beau came in,sweeping his powerful tail,sending the Rouge Dragons flying.

"Kitt! Is Wyldfyr ready yet cause I don't know how long Beau and I can hold them off!" Artha frowned when Kitt shook her head while firing off the last trapping pod. _'Damn it!How are we gonna get out of this mess' _His answer was met when Argus fell down through a portal and landed between Artha and the Rouge Dragons which roared in response to the interruption but Argus just ignored them and spoke to Artha, "Excuse me but have you seen a young girl around here,brown hair,blue eyes,has a naive appearance ?" "Reina ?" Argus became excited at the news of finding Reina but a roar was heard behind him which made him really annoyed, "Will you shut up!" Artha was thinking whether the guy was either really brave or just really stupid as Argus continued shouting at the menacing dragons but Argus didn't even bat an eyelash, "Leave me alone so I can find Reina!"

A transparent image of a gigantic dragon suddenly appeared, 'Dragon's Spirit!' The 'dragon' breathed out a stream of fire that scared the Rouge Dragons but they didn't retreat. Artha had an idea, "Hey you! Those guys are chasing after Reina!" Argus temper was peaked as the spiritual dragon disappeared and Argus spread out his arms before it was suddenly armed with freakishly huge swords that seemed too heavy to be carried by one person but when Artha looked closer,he saw that the sword was only of regular sized and had a sort of mirage-like look to it. Before the two weapons could be further examined,Argus charged towards the dragons as he started swinging the sword and despite it's 'illusion',the blade had somehow affected the dragons as several dark shadows were purged from the dragons,returning them to normal while the shadows collected into a single mass before sinking into the ground to resemble a puddle and darted off into the distance.(imagine the Shadow Heartless in Kingdom Hearts) "Come back here!I'm not done with you until you tell me where Reina is!" Argus dismissed the weapons before he ran after 'it'

Artha saw Argus go off into the distance while he helped clean up Kitt's wounds, "Artha,who was that guy ?" "I have no idea...hey! Why do you have a dreamy look in your eyes!" Artha felt threatened as his girlfriend might be attracted to this new guy but felt her lips meeting his, "Don't worry Hero-boy,I'm just impressed that the guy just did that to get to Reina,it sort of reminded me of how you fought all those dragons to protect me just now." Artha blushed at his embarrassment but the visor fortunately covered his cheeks. "Thanks Kitt,that means a lot,now...let's patch up Wyldfyr's wounds and get her some dragon-yum bars to restore her draconium energy." Artha jumped off Beau,leaving him to protect the two 'ladies' in case anything happens while he was gone,he brought with him his staff as he used his acrobatic skills to navigate around the rubble to find something that resembled dragon-food. _'Now how do I find it around this place' _Artha thought as he continued searching for dragon-food.

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(Diplo II,Bridge)

Kevin Stromwell was seated in the captain's chair as his temporary position as captain was still with him as Jake was supposedly resting but cries that came from Mr Idonis said otherwise but he decided to let the captain have a longer rest as well as time for Jake and Cecille's relationship to work out. He was unfortunately quite gullible when it came to gossip as he heard the rumors from none other than Zeak.

The console on the armrest suddenly bleeped,indicating a message was being put through,when he pushed the button for the link,he saw the face of an angry looking young man with blue hair, "Where's Jake!" Kevin jumped back but that was impossible as he was in a seat and hit his head on it. After settling down the pain in his head, "Ah,Fayt Leingod,Sargent Cain told me of your mission,I'm sorry but are you looking for Master Sargent Cain ? I'm sorry but he's currently resting from a recent battle." this peaked Fayt's interest, "What do you mean ?" Kevin activated a data console and sent it to Fayt's terminal which unknown to him was Izak's system attached to the Commodore's computer. "Shall I patch you through to the captain's quarters ?" Fayt shook his head as he said, "No need,I'll contact later but in the meantime,please examine theses documents I'm sending in as well as my report." a dozen files each worth several dozen gigabytes were sent to the ship's computers and the com-link was cut before Kevin could complain about the number of files he was to read. He sighed as he activated a console and opened up the first file and was quite surprised at the first few sentences,he smiled, "Guess that this will be worth all the reading."

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(Dragon City Ruins,Dark Plains)

Zian roared as he was struck down on the head before he plummeted to the ground,unconscious followed by the extremely exhausted Specialist Captain who was desperately holding off the horde of Rouge Dragons with the Stun-Cannon and a sword as his other weapons were already smashed to pieces. "Come all you want! I'll take all of you overgrown lizards on!" the captain shouted as he shot several more rounds of concussive energy as well as the remaining freeze-grenades were depleted before Dragonaut himself came swooping in and took the cannon away and broke it in half,tossing it away just before it blew up. "Now then,I'm hungry,whose up for a meal of human and dragon meat!" the Rouge Dragons seemingly grinned a wolf-like smirk before closing in for the kill while their master went off in search for a certain fleeing meal.

When the last ounce of his strength was spent on a sweeping attack,the Specialist fell on his knees with his sword in a loose grip,before the dragons could get closer,he saw a black puddle dart pass him and heard an extremely angry yell, "Come back here and tell me where Reina is! He saw a young instructor dressed in the crimson red uniform of Red Fountain wielding a massive broadsword that was way bigger than the ones issued at the school and the Rouge Dragons were mad at being interrupted for their meal so they started roaring and simultaneously breathed out several streams of fire that merged together to form a huge fireball hurdling towards him but he kept running forward and swatted the fireball back at them like it was nothing,the dragons evaded their own attack at the moment thy saw it coming at them. "OUT OF MY WAY!!" Argus increased the size of the broadsword and swung it in full circle,purging each and every dragon within fifty feet of him,and like before,the shadows merged with the first one and fled. "ARGHH!COME BACK HERE!" Argus ran off before he saw the two wounded on the ground,he tossed them a pouch before continue his chase. The captain opened the pouch and was relieved to see a cache of weapons and also plenty of healing items to treat their wounds.

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(Dragon City Ruins,Outskirt,Reina's Location)

Reina was still gliding around,trying to figure out on how to stop the air glider as it sped along until Reina pushed a button that shut the thing off,fortunately,she transformed into her fairy form before she fell onto the ground. She sighed in relief as she didn't got hurt but was worried about the the captain and Zian's safety but she wouldn't be worrying about them for long when Dragonaut and a company of Rouge Great Dragons with him arrived there before they quickly surrounded the fairy.

"Right...like that would trap-" a puddle of shadow that suddenly arrived and Dragonaut jumped into it before it turned into a Hydra followed by it's four extra heads and it spread it self out,letting each head be used as a bar,allowing the middle head which was actually Dragonaut's ugly face, "Hehehe!I'll play a game of 'cat and mouse' before I eat you." the new Hydragonaut(I know stupid name,that's why I'm gonna kill him off soon) roared as he lunged his five heads lunged forward but Reina dodged them as she flew around the attacks,letting them hit each other when they crashed,Reina smothered a giggle before Hydragonaut laughed silently and delivered a sneak attack that managed to hit Reina,inflicting damage on her, "Argus..." she silently whispered out his name before darkness overcame her.

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(70 S.D,Bachtain University,Nurses' Office)

Thomas was sleeping in a warm bed that was unusual in an infirmary,Sophia was sleeping by his bedside. Several gifts were placed throughout the room and they all had notes saying thank you. Thomas started stirring before opening up his eyes and saw the white-tiled ceiling of the room, "I see you're awake. Here,drink up." Fayt passed him a plastic cup of coffee. "Thank you." he saw that he was shirtless and covered in bandages and was thankful that the wounds seemed and felt minor and saw Sophia sleeping there, "She's been with you ever since the attack yesterday." Thomas nodded in understanding as he ran his hand through her hair.

After finishing the drink,Thomas examined the room and saw several gifts, "If you're wondering who they're for,their yours."  
As if on cue,a robot came in with a bunch of balloons that said 'Get Well Soon' which Thomas appreciated but grew perplexed as one said, 'I LUV U' as he wasn't up to the slang and usage of language in the future.

Robert Leingod entered the room,looking extremely tired as he sat down in an armchair, "What's wrong dad ?" Fayt filled another cup with fresh coffee and handed it to his father who gulped it down despite it being piping hot. "Thanks,I needed that and as for what's wrong...it's about the parts for your Time Watch." Thomas hoped that the repairs were completed so he could continue searching for his father but by the tone of his 'relatives' voice,it didn't sound good. "What about it ?" Robert rubbed his forehead before continuing, "It seems that the parts we need doesn't exist on Earth but I've been running a search on them around the Federation's database but so far I've got only one lead for a tiny golden gear."

Fayt approached his father and said, "Couldn't we just duplicate the parts for the watch ?" Robert shook his head, "Unfortunately no,we don't have sufficient data compilation to do it and even if we did,it would disrupt the watch's calibrations and might do something else beside time traveling.. "Like what Mr Robert ?" "..Like for example,tearing you into two separate beings and toss them each in a another dimension or just plain being torn apart and find your body parts missing but still remain alive or have your body being rearranged in distorted manners or-" "I get it dad, I think you made Thomas sick enough with your theories." Thomas was vomiting into a small pan that was designed for the particular purpose. "Huh ? Where's Thomas ?" Sophia just woke up and the person she was looking for was wiping any trace of vomit off his lips with a tissue that was handed to him by Fayt.

"Sorry for worrying you Miss Sophia." Sophia turned around to see a shirtless Thomas and blushed,Thomas wasn't exactly muscular but was quite lean and the bandages as well as a few scars gave him a dashing look. "Umm,why is Miss Sophia staring at me ?" Fayt held back his laughter at Thomas being so dense but got into a serious look a moment later, "By th way Thomas,how did you did all that fancy sword moves back there and where did you get that strange armor,where is it ?" Thomas was confused at what he was asked, "What are you talking about,all I remember was me blacking out after a while and coming back before blacking out again on Miss Sophia's lap." Robert was curious about Thomas' abilities and the memory lapse he's experiencing, _'The symptoms he's showing resembles that of the Gene's awakening symptoms but why was there armor involved...could it be...magic. Impossible!' _Robert shook his head and coughed to get the three's attention.

"Thomas,it seems that you'll be staying longer than usual so we'll need to set up a more suitable accommodations beside the makeshift bed in my laboratory's resting lounge...but where can we keep you safe from prying eyes as well as people who won't ask to many questions about our time-traveling friend ?" Sophia took this opportunity to know Thomas better, "I volunteer my house for Tom to stay at!" Robert nodded but Fayt quickly saw the negative side of things, "But-but dad!Are you sure,her parents are your colleagues and scientists,they might ask questions and besides,a boy and a girl shouldn't be living under the same roof." Sophia pouted and poked Fayt in the chest, "For your information!I can take care of myself besides,Thomas is a perfect gentleman also my parents won't mind so he can stay there and my parents probably won't even know he's living there unless I tell them."

Fayt looked his father for support, "She's got a point there." Fayt sighed in defeat, "Alright,alright let's pack up his stuff...wait a minute!The only other clothes he has is another suit and a pair of pajamas! Guess Sophia will have to take you shopping then,bye!" Robert also walked towards the door before muttering a quick 'bye' but Thomas and Sophia heard them said, "Phew!That was close,let's hope Thomas has a good upper-body strength,he'll need it to carry all the stuff she's gonna buy." "Indeed." Sophia pouted before yelling out "I heard that!" sounds of them running off were heard and Sophia turned around with a cheerful look on her face, "So shall we go ?" Thomas by then was dressed in his spare suit and coat, "Yes,let's go."

(Shopping Complex)

Thomas was following Sophia into a massive structure that held multiple shops,Sophia grabbed his arms before he was pulled along like a mother would do with her child which earned a few stares from a few people but they stopped when Sophia gave them glares which Thomas didn't see, "Here we are! Giovanni's Fashion Store!"(no relation to any shop with that name as I made it up)

"Ah,Miss Esteed welcome back!" a middle aged man ran towards Sophia and gave her a warm hug, "And you are ?" "Oh don't worry Jonas,this is my friend Tom. Tom,this is Jonas Giovanni,the store owner and a great fashion designer." Thomas waved hello to Jonas who was currently examining his outfit before he went into an uproar, "No,no,no!This will not do!You my boy need new clothes,come come,follow me." Thomas was reluctant at first but Sophia just shooed him off towards Jonas' direction. "Come now,let's see your measurements...measuring...it seems to match all my current line perfectly,wonderful!"

Thomas was suddenly dragged towards a large booth which had a table filled with various designs for clothes as well as two chairs,Jonas quickly swept away his designs off the table."Come,sit down so we could discuss what you like." After being seated Jonas started firing off questions at him in rapid succession,"What are you looking for in your new clothes ? What type of clothing you usually wear ? What material do you wish it to be made of ? And what's your relationship with Miss Sophia ?"

Thomas thought for a moment before he answered calmly, "Let's see,something that looks casual and yet sophisticated but also doesn't get in the way in case of a fight,oh and it should be able to hide my sword,second one,the only other clothes I have now is a spare suit like this and a pair of pajamas since I lost them on a journey and I want a material that is durable but also fashionable in a casual way and about the last one,what do you mean ?" Jonas shook his head as he thought _'I should've known,a dense one he is' _"Nothing,nothing at all,now let's find you a suitable outfit!"

Sophia was sitting on a chair in Jonas' store with several bags with her and Thomas asked what they were for, "You're so silly,these are your clothes and a few holo-books to learn about the current century. Thomas nodded as he understood her words before he was pulled along into a changing booth and the booth showed a terminal which asked for a combination of clothes he might like,he randomly pushed a button and got a weird result as metal hands popped out of the booth and quickly undressed and redressed him in a matter of minutes before he was shoved out wearing a 'poet's shirt with black flowing pants which made Sophia giggle and Jonas gasp in shock, "No,no,no,you must view the monitor's options before pushing but I guess I'll activate the auto-styler for you. In you go." Thomas was pushed into the booth again before being coming out again in a vest with a black shirt underneath and a baggy pair of jeans and a cap pulled backward but it didn't suit him so he went back in before he came back out dressed in a posh tuxedo but it wouldn't be fit for daily usage, "I guess I'll take this for dinner parties." Thomas went back in for more clothing configuration.

One hour and several outfits later,Thomas came out again,he was wearing an outfit similar to his old one but it looked completely different at the same time,the clothes seemed to hold something powerful inside it so he searched within it and thought _'What could possibly in here...a sword ?' _and he pulled out a medieval sword. "What the!" the sword dropped onto the floor with a loud _'clang' _before it disappeared. "My,my,my it appears that the suit has found an owner!" Sophia looked at Jonas, "Umm,Jonas what are you talking about 'the suit has found an owner' ?" Jonas was starting to sweat and he took out a handkerchief to wipe it away but the two were still looking at him so he confessed, "Alright!Alright!Here's the story...

_Flashback  
I was closing up the store for the day when a swirly portal poofed up out of nowhere and an armored man came out of it,he walked towards me,the guy had a suitcase in his hand "Good evening Mr Giovanni,I have a proposition for you." Being the curious kind of person that I am,I asked him, "Really what is it /" "Simple,keep these clothes safe until it chooses an owner,he will be a young lad I'll tell you nothing more,but take this as a reward for keeping safe." I was tossed a bag full of gold coins. When I looked back up,he was gone.  
End Flashback _

"Well that's all I know besides the fact that the clothes are made of incredibly strong fabric that could rival in defense power with an Ablative Shield is the fact that it conjures up any item the wearer thinks of,like a built in duplicator but without the need of input from a console" Sophia blinked,not believing that Thomas' new clothes was had those abilities. "Right,Jonas...umm how much for the suit ?" trying to forget the story she just heard. Grateful that his friend didn't pry any further,he decided to thank her in a financial way, "No need to pay my dear,consider it a gift from a friend." Sophia smiled and hugged her friend before running off with a few of her purchases,leaving Thomas to carry the rest of the bags which was quite difficult since he just recovered from still-healing wounds.

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(Wildlands,Dropship)

Trevor and Sera were treating the last of the injuries on the three Specialists before they sat down on the pilot seats and checked the situation on the radar and scanners but the Argus' signal was moving out of range and Rylon's signal was too far away from Argus to be of any help but they managed to see a third signal that was the young captain's signal following Argus. "Think we should help ?" Sera shook her head before turning on the communication link to Red Fountain, "No,we should contact Red Fountain for help. Besides,we'll be using the ship to track Argus' location and come in to help if he needs it." one of the Specialists stood up and said, "From what I heard of him and the way he was feeling back there,I'd say he'll have no problem dealing with theses Rouge Dragons we told you about." the two nodded in agreement. "Hey,what's that on your cape ?" Trevor plucked out a broken claw piece from the Specialist's torn cape.

"What are you going to do with that thing ?" Trevor ignored her and started taking out some scanning equipment from the ship. "Hmph!Ignore me will you..." Sera pulled out a laser whip,set it to sting and lashed it at Trevor's feet but he just jumped slightly up before using his laser dagger and tossed it at the laser string,cutting off it's power as the two energy waves canceled each other out, "If you're going to try and sting me,try using a better method." Trevor did all this while still scanning the claw at the same time which made Sera mad and a bit scared at his abilities, "Got it!" a bunch of data rolled through the screen of the onboard computer which showed statistics of the dragon where the nail came from,Trevor quickly finished reading before sitting down at the pilot's controls, "Everyone get buckled up,we're going for a ride." "Why ?" Trevor tossed the claw at Sera who caught it and looked at it, "Ever heard of the spell, 'Dark Mind' ?" "Yes,why ? It's a spell that corrupts a living thing's mind and warp it to obey who or whatever cast the spell,right...you don't mean." Trevor had already brought the dropship above the mountain region of the Wildlands. "Yes,if my guess is correct,Argus is going to have trouble handling something more than just Rouge Dragons.

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(Spirit Realm,Dragon Fire Palace)

Bloom was watching Argus through a pool of water,she was surprised when Argus created the huge swords that released the dragons from Dragonaut's hold. Bloom knew the outcome of the battle as the level of his powers were already growing but it wasn't even close to the powers she had centuries ago.

Skye entered the room with a small bouquet in his hand, "Bloom,are in here ?" "Over here Skye...oh,are those for me ?" her husband nodded as he passed the flowers into her hands and smelled them, "Thank you,they smell so nice and here's a gift for you..." Bloom gave Skye a peck on the cheek, "What only that ?" Skye said playfully, "Nope,there's more..." Bloom suddenly gave Skye a passionate kiss on the lips,stopping before it turned into a make-out session, "Wow,that's what I call a kiss...hey,is that an 'Observer Window' you casted on the pool ?" Bloom stuck her lounge out like she did when she wanted to hide something. "Whoa!Is Argus really going to fight that thing ?" Skye was fixated on the image displayed and Bloom decided to join him.

"Bloom,shouldn't we...I don't know,go down there and help him ?" Bloom was slightly tempted but shook her head, "Skye,you should know that we can't interfere unless it's absolutely necessary and besides,he's drawing power from Efreet to enhance his." Skye understood her words and continued watching what would happen next.

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(Dragon City Ruins,Edge of Dark Plains near Outskirts,Argus' Location)

Argus had somehow lost sight of the shadow but he kept running in the direction it went off to,he felt Reina's presence somewhere ahead as well but he was suddenly blocked when a sword stabbed itself into the ground in front of him,ignoring the attack,he he continued his run until, "Stop!" a Night-Elf dressed in ninja-garbs retrieved his sword before approaching Argus, "So you're the keeper of the flames,eh." Argus unsummoned the broadsword and called for two longswords, "Don't worry,I'm not hostile...unless my client pays me to." Argus realized that the Night-Elf was a mercenary-for-hire and they had a strict code business. Lowering his guard but keeping the two swords in case he was being tricked, "What do you want ?" the mercenary Elf laughed which made Argus angry, "Don't be foolish. I'm only here to deliver a message from my client." "Which is ?" Argus was losing his patience as he had to find Reina. "Alright,he says for you to 'watch out for the heads and don't cut them,go for the heart' which I don't know what it means...who knows,I could be working with or against you next time we meet." The Night-Elf laughed before jumping into the air and onto a hoverboard,speeding off."Damn!I wasted too much time here!" Argus started running again at a faster pace towards where he sensed Reina was.

After running for while,Argus saw a huge five-headed dragon,accompanied by several dragons that have noticed him. "Just great!More dragons!" a bolt of gold energy was sent from behind him and struck one of the dragons,Argus looked back to see the two people he met earlier riding two dragons,he also saw the Specialist he gave the potion to riding on a hoverboard beside a dragon that Argus saw through it's aura that the dragon was on his side,the Specialist jumped off his hoverboard and saluted him, "Specialist Captain Daniel Norton,reporting for duty,I've brought reinforcements!" Argus nodded as he prepared his longswords and ran into battle,letting his new backup handle the small fries while Argus used the swords that were set to stun do the 'talking' for him.

Hydragonaut saw the behind him with his extra heads but he was too preoccupied with preparing his meal to fight so he sent his four other heads to slow down the attackers. The four heads came at Argus in a formation which was used in an attempt to confuse him but Argus followed his instincts as he used the heads as 'paths' to the middle one,each time he was about to jump off another one,he cut off the heads with magic-induced attacks before making his way towards the next one.

When he cut off the fourth and last extra head,six more came out of the stumps of the three heads he decapitated earlier _'What the six ?' _but he ignored the head's blockade and physically enlarged his swords and cleaved all six heads clean off before more heads suddenly sprouted from each stump,two or three for each one but Argus was too concentrated in getting to the middle head,at least until he was entangled in a 'forest' of heads the held him back from reaching his goal,he looked back in hopes of calling for help but he saw that they were occupied trying to handle the Rouge Dragons as well as some of the extra heads attacking them,he knew that he was on his own now and had to get himself out of this mess alone,he slumped his head in defeat as some of the heads were opening their mouths in order to eat him.

"Aaaahhhhh!" Argus snapped his eyes wide open and saw through the myriad of necks,Reina,being knocked away and fallen unconscious on the floor with some blood smeared on her face and clothes and Argus looked helplessly as he thought that she was dead,he closed his eyes to avoid seeing her in that condition _'Why!Why did she have to come here!Why!Tell me!There must be something I can do to save her...Tell meeee!!!!!' 'There is...'_ Argus's eyes opened up and this time it wasn't emerald-green but a bloody shade of crimson,the pendant around his neck glowed brightly which spread around his body before the Dragon's spirit came out and entered the pendant,making it glow even brighter. "Reinaaaaaaaaa!!!" the swords in Argus' hands shattered and in an instant all the heads around him disintegrated in a massive explosion,the moment the dust cleared,Artha saw a floating sphere of fire and in it was Argus with a look of extreme anger on his face, "By the Magna Draconis,I hope he doesn't fry us." Beau nodded in agreement as they slowly backed away just in case,the others followed closely as they got behind any nearby debris for cover.

Kitt took out two binoculars and passed one to Artha to view the situation,the Daniel also took his binoculars out while Zian didn't need it as dragons have incredibly good eyesight. "Hope he can pull off another move like that again." Artha said shakily while watching the horde of Rouge Dragons come after them, "Why?" Kitt had zoomed in on Argus to see if he would do anything about the heads that were now sprouting up again, "That's why!" Artha redirected Kitt's binoculars line of view towards the oncoming horde,Kitt gulped as she knew that Wyldfyr wasn't at full strength as Artha only found two sacks of dragon food that hasn't turned to dust and they had to split it equally as Beau needed it but the black and gold dragon gave some of his to Wyldfyr so she could have all the energy she needed.

Artha brandished his staff while Kitt took out a red armband with a red amulet near it, "I guess if it's any good time to use this,this is definitely the time for it." Kitt equipped the armband on her arm and placed the fire-shaped amulet in the slot, "Release the Fire!"(A.n:I never saw the actual transformation so work with me on this one) Kitt suddenly went through the same thing that Artha did when he turned into Dragon Booster but the lights were fiery red and instead of twirling around,the fire engulfed her before she came out clad in a 'fiery' armor similar to Artha's but had the qualities of fire as it's design, the Fire Booster was ready for battle,her dragon has also turned into a stronger version of herself as her scales had been shaped into fire motifs giving the she-dragon a fiercer look. "Alright,let's get ready for the attack." preparing her staff,Kitt sat and waited for the right moment to strike,a Rogue Dragon suddenly got a taste of defeat when Kitt and Artha did a combo attack which had them using each other as steps to go into the air before dropping down with a double kick and a swing from their staffs,the dragon went down as a shadow raised it self from the knocked out dragon and slipped off to Hydragonaut to increase his power.

Argus was still encased in the sphere of fire,his hair flaring like fire,the eyes emitting flame-like glows which made him seem angrier than he is which was rising as he destroyed each head that snaked in front of him and a few lucky ones that managed to evade the blasts were quickly burned to ashes when they tried to devour him. Landing softly on the ground,Argus started moving forward and scorched anything that got in his way of reaching Reina.

The main head pf Hydragonaut was drooling as some of it dripped to the ground,the saliva was acidic in nature as it dissolved some rocks into nothing,he was getting ready for his 'food' who was currently unconscious which he liked. "Good,I like my food to be cooperative..hehehe." his voice was more distorted and beastly than usual due to the transformation,he was about to move in for the kill when he felt an intense pain and he looked back to see his own head being lopped off by a swing from a fire sword from a red-clothed Specialist who was emitting a fiery aura,the massive body fell limp and Argus saw Reina laying there,his heart softened up and the 'fire' within him dimmed as he ran towards Reina's limp form, "Reina!I'm here,it's alright,I'll heal you!"

Argus started healing her wounds which were quickly healed but she didn't wake up which worried Argus, "Wake up!Please wake up!Reina..." a shadow loomed over him and turned around to see Hydragonaut now with about a hundred or so heads sneering at him and they all spoke at the same time, "Oh my,it seems that our would-be hero has failed to save the damsel,well...any last words before we eat you up ?" the main head poke through the other heads and whispered to Argus, "By the way,it was fun at how she struggled,maybe I'll cut her up and eat her piece by piece..." Argus anger was instantly peaked as fire flared up around him as he suddenly became berserk,letting his anger and hate control his powers,already encased inside the flame shell again,he decided to go further as more fire surrounded him,forming a humanoid shape which turned into an armored fire-giant,matching the monster's size.

"Nice trick but it won't save you from me!" Hydragonaut lashed out,several heads came at him but the 'giant' grabbed the heads just by their necks which burned as it was made of living fire before scorching them to ashes at that moment,the eyes of the 'giant' flared up and went wild as it jumped into the forest of necks tearing it to pieces as the hands burned away the flesh with each touch it did as he started tearing each head off it's stalk but more and more heads grew,making it harder for the fire-giant to battle so it retreated into Argus' body which made him stronger than before as he started performing an extreme version of the Fire Arts,burning everything that was within a fifty-feet radius into a crisp,punching and kicking as he fell,Argus was uncontrollable as he kept burning everything that attacked him until he was eaten whole by one of the heads as they all smirk at their success. The fighters gasped as he was eaten,even the Rouge Dragons stopped their assault as their master's enemy was finally disposed of but deep inside Argus kept fighting,tearing everything to pieces until he saw a bulbous lump of flesh beating at a rhythmically pace and his instincts told him to destroy it which he did as he created several fire swords around him and sent them flying at the beating heart.

Hydragonaut was now sneering at the motley crew of fighters who had bold faces,ready to fight again but it wasn't needed when the multi-headed Hydragonaut squirmed as one by one,his heads dropped dead and whithered away,leaving the main one struggling to breath as his body started rotting and seemingly being cooked as smoke rose from within him,upon the realization that the person he swallowed earlier was the perpetrator of this deed,his neck was suddenly punctured from the inside and out came a blood-drenched Argus but the newly created flame sphere evaporated the blood as he ran up the neck before jumping high and looked at the pathetic creature in the eye and he saw fear but he had no mercy for him as his own piercing eyes glowed brightly before he delivered a quick and fatal blow towards the dying beast,the head imploded,extinguishing it's life forever.

At that moment the Rouge Dragons roared in pain as the shadow in their body was destroyed and released them,returning them to their normal selves which saved the others lives as they had already about to give in to defeat but the danger wasn't over yet as Argus was still berserk and the dome of fire around him was growing and threatened to burn anything around it. "Run!Everyone!Run for it!" Artha shouted as he hopped onto Beau while Kitt on Wyldfyr before they galloped off with the now purified dragons following them while Zian and Daniel stayed behind to see if they could help but it seemed hopeless as the flaming dome grew larger with Argus standing in the middle with a look of anguish with his powers mixed together is a deadly combination. They only stood there,hoping that a miracle will save them.

Reina was just a few meters from Argus and slowly woke up but was in a dizzying state due to the heat but she saw Argus standing or rather floating there with a look of anguish on his face,she felt that she had to calm his anger. Staggering to her feet,Reina stumbled her way towards him before latching her hands onto his which made him turned his head towards her in anger which didn't faze her,she only saw the anger and sadness in his eyes which was calming down steadily as he saw her pleading eyes.

After the fire died away,Argus embraced Reina in a gentle huge as he was relieved that she was safe and sound, "Reina,I'm so glad you're alright,you have no idea what I felt when I thought you were dead." Reina was still slightly dazed from the heat but heard what he said,her heart was beating faster than normal as she wanted the hug to last forever but was interrupted when a cough was heard, Zian and Daniel was looking at them with a keen interest but decided to intervene as the situation needed it since the Dropship had arrived along with Rylon who was picked up earlier amongst the ruins while battling Rouge Dragons before they returned to normal. Argus and Reina were already a short distance away from each other but the feelings between them were obvious since both of them had a red hues on their cheeks.

"Alright,alright!Nothing to see here,break up the crowd." Sera pushed through the group until she was in front,followed by Trevor who was using his hoverboard just a few feet above to see the commotion, "Hi there...dragon...really big dragon." he was being sniffed at by Beau who then saw a candy bar in his pocket that he stuck his long lounge to grab it while tickling Trevor in the process but he saw the seemingly-friendly- dragon's desire and plucked out the candy bar from his pocket and handed to Beau who thankfully took and used his tail as a whip to snap it in two,ate one half and offered the other to Wyldfyr who nodded and took the candy with her tail and tossed it into the air and into the mouth,Trevor's heart warmed up at the display of love as he saw the two dragons laying down to rest with their tails curled up together and he smothered a laugh at the best Specialist of Red Fountain's shyness towards his feelings. _'Wonder If I can have that sort of relationship with a girl who right for me...if there's even a girl like that anymore' _Trevor let out a sad sigh before shouting out, "All aboard for the ride to Red Fountain!"

It's been several minutes since the liftoff,the ship was slightly crowded with the new passengers,Kitt and Artha insisted that they stayed behind to wake up the other people who might have been still around so as to revive the city and rebuild and the dragons that were released from the mind control were grateful and wished to help the two rebuild as an apology for attacking them,Zian was offered the chance to live in the city which he politely declined as he said that his fellow Great Dragons needed three Specialists were at the controls while Daniel was in the back,preparing his report to Arune Saladin,Trevor was busy examining the claw which was still dark and infested by the spell,just in case Sera set up an air-tight case complete with mechanical arms for the curious Trevor to operate safely.

Meanwhile Argus was on a platform on top of the dropship,the platform was designed for the usage of a cannon that comes out with the push of a button but now he's using it to watch the sunset,he realized that he'd been fighting for so long that he forgot about the time,he breathed in the fresh air that the Wildlands was also known for. "Argus,is that you ?" he turned around to see Reina with a few bandages wrapped around her wounds that Argus didn't heal,he gestured for her to join him which she accepted, "Here,join me in watching the sunset,it helps me calm myself. What about you ?" Reina smiled and replied, "It makes me feel happy,it reminds me of the smiles I see everyday from everyone." Argus smiled at her naivety and was amazed at how she seems so immature and mature at the same time, "Achoo!" Argus saw Reina running her arms up and down on her shoulders to warm herself up, "Guess I stayed too long in the caverns..." he circled his arms around her shoulders and pulled her closer which made her blushed as he wrapped his cape around them, "Warm enough now ?" Reina nodded as she snuggled closer, "Look!A shooting star!Make a wish..." Reina nodded as she made her wish and kept it in her heart, "What did you wish for ?" Argus was curious about her wish but Reina playfully punched him in the chest and shook her head, "No way,that's for me to know and for you to find out." Argus laughed softly,knowing that telling a wish would ruin it. They two just stood there watching the stars sparkle in the currently night sky as the dropship moved along smoothly.

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Author's note:Congratulation Anesha!You've guessed right!He went berserk ! Name your prize and I'll see if I can do it!  
Alright now,what do you readers think of the new chapter I put up,tell me in your reviews and if you have any suggestions,tell me and I give where credit is due.

Today's WiVo:

Now we concentrate on the other character's situations,mainly Fayt and Thomas,todays vote is suggestion vote.  
Do you want to see if Thomas and his new friends will try and get the parts on their own,if so which one do you think it'll be,choose wisely.

A.)Chrono Gear,an important piece of the Time-Watch that regulates the energy in the machine.  
B.)Cystral Case,a basic covering made of clear diamond that contains the influx of power when it's used/  
C.)Damask Core,a conduit cube that controls the power generated.  
D.)Purifier Sprocket,a simple gear that helps purify the radioactivity that the Damask Core emits when filteing power.

Choose Wisely now and by the way to my reviewers,Anesha and Elina:  
Don't worry,I won't stop the fic,that was just a little attempt at a gag that I thought I would try,never thought it would have that much effect so I apologize for the worry.  
Now this is Argus456 signing off.


	19. Chapter 18

Author's note:Thank you my dear reviewers and readers,especially Anesha who will be joining the story in later chapters,who has been a loyal reviewer as well as my first but that doesn't mean that I'll ignore the rest of you of course. Now that the rather short speech is over,on with the story!(p.s:I'm running out of ideas so there will be a short hiatus after this but if you want the hiatus to be shorter,send in ideas and suggestions in your reviews but of course,credit will be given to the reviewer.)  
Note that although the story will concentrate on Thomas' side for this chapter,the others will still have parts in the chapter.

Disclaimer:I do not own anything related to Winx Club,Star Ocean:Till the End of Time or even Dragon Booster. I only own the plotline and most pf the characters as well as some locations

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(70 S.D,Esteed Estate)(clever,no :)

Sophia got off the hover-taxi and paid the fare before grabbing a few bags from her seat while Thomas struggled with the remaining shopping bags. "Come on slowpoke." she giggled as she heard Thomas grumbling behind the bags before running ahead,Thomas close behind, "Speak for yourself,these bags weigh more than just clothes!" Sophia shook her head before entering the house which made Thomas gasp at the decorations which seem to almost exactly match the ones in his house in the past, "Welcome to your new home!" Sophia had somehow changed into a maid's outfit within the few minutes that she had,he blushed as the outfit made her more attractive in a rather perverse way which he quickly banished from his thoughts but was having a difficult time keeping it away.

"Like my outfit ?" Sophia asked despite knowing the effect it had on the young man,as he was blushing brightly while trying to hide it behind the bags. "I'm sorry Miss Sophia but the outfit you're wearing is making me very uncomfortable." Sophia nodded as she went through a maple-wood door with cat-related decorations on it and it had a sign 'Sophia's Room',sounds of shuffling was heard before she exited the room in a different outfit which was a blue striped top with a plaid-skirt similar to her school uniform, "Better now ?" Thomas nodded as he followed her through a short hall before entering a cozy room that was definitely better than the one Robert Leingod had set up at the school for him,he let the bags onto the floor before the closet opened up and a few sets of mechanical clamps grabbed the clothes and snapped shut which surprised Thomas who took out the Astral Blade in case the 'metal monster' attacked but all he saw were the clothes in a colorful arrangement and a voice asked,

"Good day sir,if you wish to change clothes,please state the occasion and the proper set will be prepared." Sophia closed the closet door before smiling, "Don't worry,the auto dresser only helps with clothes so ask it what you want when you're changing and it'll hand you the ones you'll need." Thomas nodded before examining the room,the walls were covered with a criss-cross wallpaper,an antique four-poster bed,complete with veils,an elaborate bed-side table with a small bulb of light hovering inside a container which he thought was a lamp. The room was quite similar to his own bed but still held hints of it's futuristic techs.

"Now,if you'll excuse me,I'll prepare our dinner tonight while you settle in." The door was closed when it slid back into place and the soft sounds of Sophia's steps. "Guess I'll see what these 'books' Miss Sophia bought for me could teach me." he grabbed the metallic cover and flipped it open,it was a mini-computer which started 'talking'(imagine the Hitchhikers' Guide to the galaxy) "Greetings,I'm the Encyclopedia Computer or E.C for short,I contain the latest data of the explored universe as well as the ability to update my data. Please input your name and password through the holo-pad.." a holographic panel appeared and Thomas typed in the desired information before the pad deactivated.

"Greetings Thomas Leingod,the laptop will now respond only to your voice command and to anybody who possess the password. Thomas was intrigued at the claim from the small piece of tech, "Alright,bring up data on the subject hologram technology." he regretted the request when a beep responded before several files pulled up which confused him greatly so he tried a more direct approach, "Bring up a basic report of hologram technology." a few files appeared and he tapped the screen to confirm the first one,a 'movie' started playing,explaining the workings of the holographic technology.

Twenty minutes later,Sohpia entered the room to see Thomas wrapped up in a pile of connected paper displaying various schematics about holographic devices,Sophia started laughing as Thomas looked like a mummy in all that paper, "Haha,very funny,now get me out of here." Sophia grabbed his arms in an attempt to pull him out but ended up falling back with Thomas on top of her which made her blush but Thomas reacted quickly and got up from her and started apologizing,saying I'm sorry over and over which she found quite adorable. "I'm so sorry..." Thomas just ran out breath for apologizing for so long,he felt something soft and moist peck his cheek,he turned his head up and saw Sophia slowly pulling away from him, "Dinner's ready." She smiled as she went out of the room with Thomas sitting there on the floor,with his hand feeling the spot on his cheek where Sophia kissed it.

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(Present,Lake Fortress of Light)

The structures of the once magnificent fort was now in ruins,fires burning the trees to ashes,former towers crumbling to pieces,creatures of decay and darkness roaming the ruins searching for survivors who escaped their capture. A Juggernaut along with a squad of Beast-Troopers were scouring the halls until three Templars ambushed them and took out the Beast Troopers with chi-blasts that tore them apart before moving in on the Juggernaut,two of them charged at it with their lances,stabbing it below the torso and the third on jumped from behind right onto the shafts of the two lances,slashing it with two swords,turning it into four chunks of decaying dark matter.

"Alright,we've taken out this area's patrol units. Let's return to the Meditation Hall to regroup." the other two nodded before running off towards the only place that was still safe and untouched by the assault but it would eventually fall like the rest. As the pushed opened the golden doors of the hall,the inside seemed to have changed,from the silent hall of prayers to a near chaos as several Templars were running about to heal the injured who managed to escape the capture,some were preparing weapons while others were working on a machine-like arc with several sparks of energy coming out ever so often, "Is the barrier breaker ready yet ?" one of the ones working on it stood up said, "We'll be done setting it up in a few minutes." he then went back to work.

"Templar Bastil!Trouble at the hall entrance!" a guardsman ran in before slamming the door shut, "What's wrong ?" his question was answered when the guardsman was flung forward as the gates were forced opened by two Juggernauts followed by a number of Beast-Troopers and at the front of the assault was Ronand,the child-inventor and his assistant,Celina. "Attack!" Ronand shouted in an un-child-like voice,his orders were carried out as the Monsters of Decay moved in for the attack while several Templars,even the injured ones prepared their weapons, "Come my fellow Templars!Let us test our mettle against these beasts in combat!" several charged into combat while a few remained to secure the safety of the machine.

After a few minutes,both sides were at a stalemate as both sides refused to give up,the Decay Monsters kept coming back with reinforcements each time they were slain while the Templars held out with their Qigong techniques and martial prowess,even the injured fighters were putting up a heavy resistance, "Enough!This fight ends now!" Ronand brought out a 'gun' and fired off powerful streams of energy which destroyed his own troops while capturing nearby Templars in ropes of paralyzing energy, "Now then,care to surrender ?" Ronand said with a confidant smirk,the few Templars who were defending the device threw caution to the wind and like their captured comrades,charged straight into battle.

"I see,so that's your answer,well....here's mine!" Ronand snapped his fingers and the sound of something mechanical stomping into the room,Ronand and Celina stood out of the way,letting a behemoth of a machine crash through the gate and in the middle of the mech were embedded the three gems that the Trix possessed,it was acting as the power source and it was utilized in a frightful manner as the three gems created a point of energy which hit all the Templars save for Bastil who ducked behind a pillar,he saw to his shock that his fellow Templars were turning into stone statues,cursed to be stone by the Trix's own items. A light flickered from the arc,Bastil turned around to see the Barrier Breaker operating,he saw the fingers of a Templar yet to be completely petrified holding the conduit and with his one unpetrified eye,he winked and gave the ok sign,Bastil nodded as he made a last ditch effort to escape,he opened up a portal just inside the arc and disappeared through it before he could be petrified,sounds of Ronand's temper tantrum was heard throughout the fortress(he's still a kid)

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(70 S.D,Esteed Household,Dining Room)

The room was a typical dining room,an oaken table with a table-cloth made of silk,a bouquet of flowers as a centerpiece,the only thin out of place for Thomas were the chairs that automatically adjust seat levels at the push of a button as he found out the hard way as he's currently stuck in an adult version of a high-chair. Sophia had just brought in the last dish and saw Thomas in his predicament,setting down the plate,she pushed the default button so Thomas could breath easier as the high-chair restrained his breathing. "Thank you Miss Sophia,I guess that I'll have to check E.C. For a better understanding of the future...hmm,what's this ?" he pulled out the communicator that Robert gave him,it was beeping indicating he has mail,he pushed it to see it's contents:

_'Thomas,I'll be busy with lab-work for a while so it would be easier if you help do the research on the locations of the replacement parts,here are the list for each one...'_

A list scrolled out through the small screen,Thomas seemed intrigued at the challenge so he started working on it but it was taken away by Sophia who popped a spoonful of her cooking into his mouth, "You're not working while eating,got it." Thomas nodded as he chewed the home-cooked food which suddenly reminded him of his late mother who used to cook just like that. Sophia saw him playing with his food or rather moping so she asked flat-out, "What's wrong Thomas,you're not even touching the food I cooked...is it um,too strong for your tastes ?" She saw a tear drop down from his face and onto the floor which shined for a moment but Sophia was more concern over Thomas' condition, "Don't worry Miss Sophia,it's just that your cooking reminded me of my mother,that's all...." Sophia turned her head down,Thomas saw this, "Don't worry about it,I moved on already but I like to keep her in my heart where she lives on....So come one,we can't let all this delicious food go to waste." with that statement,he started eating with gusto but Sophia saw the sadness he's trying to hide under the act,she decided to play along and continued eating with him.

After dinner,Thomas insisted on helping with the cleaning but Sophia denied it and shooed him off to his room. "Oh well,at least I can work on researching the parts." Thomas sat on the edge of his bed before flipping open E.C's monitor, "E.C,this is Thomas Leingod,open up a file to anything that has any information in relation to these parts." he pulled out a socket from his communicator and plugged it into the computer. After a short period of time,Thomas saw only one file and E.C responded, "The only files I can obtain to is this one,there are others but will require a few days to obtain." the file was downloaded into the hand-held device before E.C shut down. "I guess E.C's going to 'sleep' for a while....Now let's see..."

Thomas opened the file and a picture of gear that has a distinct design and when he zoomed in on a particular spot of the gear he saw his father's name engraved on the spot as well as the part's name 'Purifier Sprocket' "Glad that dad always 'labeled' everything important." he continued reading,absorbing every single detail into his mind. "Alright!I got the location.....but I don't know my way around here...guess I'll ask Miss Sophia and Fayt to help me.." he looked at the time display on the communicator which was quite late so he decided to sleep and at that moment a thunderstorm occurred,he wasn't bothered by it but he heard whimpering nearby, "Miss Sophia ?" he went out of the room and followed the whimpering to Sophia's bedroom door which he opened slowly which fortunately didn't creak,he saw the room was painted in pink,the room was littered with plush toys of cats and he saw a lump under the cover of a four-poster bed which he presumed was Sophia as the 'lump' was the source of the whimpering,he gently lifted the covers to see Sophia in a fetal position,hugging a stuffed toy cat that looked like it was wearing a pink dress with a bow in it's ear(can anyone guess who it is)

"Are you scared of storms ?" Sophia nodded slightly before hugging the stuffed toy even closer when a clap of thunder was sounded, "Please keep me company." Thomas nodded as he hugged her to keep her from shivering, "But only until you're asleep." Sophia nodded before cuddling further into his warm body before she started sleeping in his arms, "Guess I can't leave after all..." he started falling asleep as well and as the storm continued,the two slept peacefully together.

(Morning)

Thomas felt himself being pulled out of bed rather forcefully as he fell onto the cushy but still hard floor, "What did you do to my daughter y-yo-you punk!" Thomas rubbed his eyes clear to see a man holding what looked like a metallic baseball bat and the man was holding it in a pathetic striking position so Thomas decided to reason with the man, "Excuse me but what are you talking-Oww!" he felt the impact of the baseball bat on his forearm when he raised it at the last moment, _'That's it!Time to get physical!' _Thomas lashed out his leg,tripping the man and grabbed the falling baseball bat and pointed it threateningly at the man as he didn't want to scare the man with a sword, "Alright,I was trying to be reasonable and I'll remain reasonable if you would refrain from hitting-"he felt a presence behind him so he ducked and saw a woman fall down with a bronze statue that was meant for his head,then he realized the two person's identity.

"Let me guess,you're both Miss Sophia's parents,didn't Mr Leingod told you about me ?" the two parents slowly got up and retrieved the baseball bat and after they exited Sophia's room,her father started scratching behind his head,"Sorry about that back there." Thomas knew what parents were like as his friends from the past had parents similar to the two Esteeds. "Please,don't worry about it,my friend's father is also like that....by the way,sorry about the kick."

After a few introductions were made and a quick breakfast,Sophia's father Clive was reading a print-out of the Purifier Sprocket and was discussing the theory about time-traveling. ".....although countless scientists tried and failed in time-travel but I guess your father was an exception,by the way. What was your father's purpose for time-traveling so far into the future ?" Thomas seemed to be thinking for a while but he shrugged his shoulders, "I really don't know,my father was quite eccentric since I last saw him but the letter he written seemed to be written by a sane man so he probably has a good reason for it." Sophia came out wearing her school uniform,"Good morning everybody,I guess you've met my parents,come on we're going to be late for school!" Sophia exclaimed as she quickly dragged Thomas into his room and after a series of shuffling noises,a bright-faced Thomas came out wearing a smart business-like suit which was white with blue embroidery(imagine Avalon's outfit),followed by Sophia who was giggling, "Awww. Come on! I only saw you in your shorts,although it looked quite cute." Sophia unintentionally flirted with her 'teacher' which her parents noticed but decided to ignore, "Off with you two,we've already called for a hover-taxi but the fare is yours to pay." Sophia yelled out a quick yes,grabbed a piece of toast in her mouth and ran out of the door with Thomas hopping on one leg,trying to put on his shoes, "Wait up!" he stamped his foot down to adjust his shoe before running to the moving vehicle and recklessly jumped through the open door and onto Sophia's lap, "Well hello there handsome." Thomas was still blushing so the extra blood rushing to his face only served to make him dizzy,forcing him to stay in that position for the time being which he kind of liked,he sighed as the hover-taxi sped towrds the college.

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(Present,Red Fountain Courtyard,Dawn)

"Reina ?...wake up,we're back at Red Fountain." Argus was still on the platform with Reina by his side as they had fell asleep on the way back,his cape kept them warm,although he had a slight headache from bumping his head on the [latform rails when it landed,Reina woke up dreamily as she looked up to see Argus before falling asleep again, _'Guess she's still tuckered out from her adventure,guess I'll let her sleep for a little longer'_ Argus gently lifted her up bridal style and jumped off the landing dropship which was still a few feet in the air but he had faced worst so he used a bit of his powers to soften the landing as he started walking towards his dorm room.

After putting Reina in his bed for some rest,he went directly to the Headmaster's office with a portal. "Ah,Argus. I presume that Miss Reina is safe and sound." Argus nodded before bowing, "I'm sorry for my outburst yesterday,please accept my apology." Arune smiled at Argus accepting his responsibilities at this age, "It's alright,your outburst was justified with reasons that are sensible,come sit. We have much to discuss about." Argus finally noticed that the Headmaster had other guests which included Sera Slifer,Trevor Pyris and Rylon Ortedus on one side while the great Orwen Cordatorta along with a couple of his men,one of them looked seriously tired and in need of medical attention. "Alright,now that everyone's here,Templar Bastil...please present your report of the situation at the Fortress of Light." _'What!Is the place under attack ?' _he was surprised as the beat-up Templar started telling everybody his report.

When Bastil finished his report,he slumped down into his seat and snoring was then heard,he was more tired than the others thought he was. "As he has informed us,the Fortress of Light is currently under the control of this 'Ronand' character who seems to have the control of the Army of Decay and may be connected to the previous assault on the school some time ago."  
Trevor approached the front of Saladin's desk, "What can we do ? Some of us just survived an onslaught of Rouge Dragons as well as the fact that Argus and I just came back yesterday from an attack from a humongous Juggernaut and also the 'army' I had to face alone until Argus saved us....What ? Are you going to send us out to the Fortress ?" Sera whacked the back of Trevor's head with her clenched fist before hissing into his ear, "What are you doing!This is the headmaster your talking to!"  
Arune raised his hand, "It's alright Instructor Slifer,Mr Pyris here is correct and we can do nothing to help the Fortress and it's inhabitants for the time being,it appears that the area is now 'barricaded' by a powerful barrier. We currently have no means of entering the Fortress,unless we use the Dragon Fire." all heads turned stare at Argus who just pointed at himself, "Me ?"

An hour has already passed but Argus was in a heated discussion and conditions of him participating in the next mission, "...I know I agreed to participate in this mission but how can I be sure that Reina won't run off again!" Arune rubbed his forehead as he replied calmly, "I can't be held responsible for her actions and the only way we could keep her safe is either restraining her in the school or....I rather not say." but the look in Argus' eyes forced him, "To let her go with you." this only made Argus' anger flare up, "What makes you say accompanying me on a dangerous mission will make it safe for Reina !?" the templars in the room had never dealt with him before so they foolishly pulled their weapons out but the moment the were within a meter of Argus,their weapons suddenly heated up and they reacted quickly as their heated weapons drop to the floor and Argus disappeared in a flash of fire,leaving the two templars to be reprimanded by their Lord for their foolishness.

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(70 S.D,Bachtain University,Literature Class)

"Alright class,today we'll be doing an essay,a free topic essay. Choose any subject you want and write it." due to Thomas' heroic deeds,the entire class felt obliged to do as he said. "Good. Remember,when writing an essay use proper words and-" he was interrupted when the auto door slid open and a man wearing militaristic uniform entered and from what he learned about the current society,the man was a police officer, "What can I do for you officer ?" he was nervous as Robert hasn't yet completed his forged identification profile. He was passed a thick envelope, "Here,open it." he did and found a wad of cash which had the portrait of a spaceship and the numbering was one thousand Fol and he had several bills of it along with a letter of congratulations, "What's all this for ?" the officer replied, "It is the reward money for bringing down that sentient virus,a madman had transferred his mind into the Federation's data bank and had stolen classified data. Since you destroyed it,the data has been recovered,that was the reward for bringing him down. Good day." the officer saluted before walking out of the room.

"I guess I'm going to have to spend this money,does anyone care for a field trip ?" The whole class cheered but Thomas replied, "....but only when you hand in the essays,can't go on a field trip unless we have credibility can we ?" a few groaned while a few returned to their work,Thomas smiled and sat back into his chair before he pulled out E.C and whispered the password and started researching more about the future he's stuck in....for the time being.

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(Unknown Location:? ? ?,Kaleb's Throne Room)

Kaleb was sitting on his throne,his face still covered by the shadows,but by the way he was sitting,he was obviously annoyed.......annoyed at the failure of his newest Demon Recruit,Morak who was currently covered in healed scars,kneeling in front of him. "You've failed to kill the Keeper of the Flames Morak....and all because of your pride,you lost to a Fire Knight. For this,you must pay...dearly." at that instant,a trapdoor opened and Morak responded by turning into his demonic form and flapped his wings but the attempt was futile as his wing-bones suddenly buckled and cracked as well as the rest of his body,he felt like he was being crushed by a closed fist,in his last moments of consciousness,Morak unleashed a wave of dark energy before screaming down into the trapdoor which shut firmly,drowning the room once again in silence except for the clanking sounds of footsteps.

Dianovas stepped into the small light provided by the torches,his hand still glowing from the magic he had used on Morak as well as the small dent on his armor that was still smoking from Morak's attack,he bowed down as always before rising up again, "Was it wise to give Morak those powers my Lord ?" a dry laugh was heard before Kaleb responded, "I only gave him the powers so that he could test the Keeper of the Flames but it appears that the Army of Decay you gave him has completed that task for me anyway....Dianovas,I've received word that Ronand has captured that accursed Fortress of Light,you are to go there and search it for anything that could be useful to us. Understood ?" Dianovas simply nodded before he pulled out his sword and slashed opened a portal before entering it.

The huge doorway opened and a line of Templars,all of whom were chained up and closely watched by a squad of skeleton warriors,the Templars looked like they had been tortured,several rips in their clothes showing raw flesh that suffered several lashes from a spiked whip but they still had the look of defiance in their eyes,the lead skeleton approached Kaleb and bowed before rising again to hear his lord's commands,Kaleb adjusted his sitting position so that the lower half of his face could be seen but still slightly covered in the shadows,with a calm smile that showed his teeth which had fangs(imagine Dakkar's) before deciding their fate, "I feel a bit merciful today,throw them in the dungeon and absorb all their chi away so that they can't escape." the Templars immediately retaliated by sending out a combined wave of chi energy,knocking the skeleton warriors onto the ground and the Templars took the opportunity and grabbed the weapons that the skeletons had let go in the process and quickly defeated the skeletal foes before blasting open the doorway and running out,Kaleb was amused at the Templar's attempt at escape he smirked and with a snap of his fingers,several skeletons burst from the floor, "Go and recapture them!" the skeleton platoon charged out of them room,their bony joints creaking with each movement,Kaleb sat back and enjoyed the show that's being seen on the crystal ball he summoned.

(Dark Corridor)  
The Templars were running along a dark murky passage that seemed gothic and elegant but disgusting at the same time,gargoyle statues were situated on pedestals that line along it,giving off a dark appearance. The Templars saw their undead pursuers and quickened their pace to escape them,blasting at any that got too close with chi energy. After running for sometime,they reached a wide doorway, "This must be the exit!Force it open!" two of them unleashed a concentrated blast of chi but when the smoke cleared,the door hardly had a scratch on it so a few more Templars used their chi blasts before it opened up to show nothing,nothing except an endless void with several scraps land floating about and they were just a few steps away from falling into oblivion before they slowly backed away from it and bumped into something rough bulk and turned around to see a man that had huge muscles bulging and was carrying an equally huge mace,the man smirked before slamming the sides of several Templars with a swing of his mace,breaking their bones as loud cracks were heard when the weapon made contact with their bodies,each Templar tried retaliating but the effort was futile.

When the skeletons arrived,they saw Axilles hefting his mace onto his shoulder as he knock out the last Templar,each and every one of them were badly hurt but still alive,barely. Axilles crouched near one of the fallen Templars, "Just be happy that I didn't have my Battle-Axe with me." he smirked before planting a foot on the man's back,resulting in a scream before he fell unconscious.

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(70 S.D,Rosen Castle Ruins)

Thomas who had chosen to wear his other new outfit was leading his students on a tour guided field trip to the Rosen Castle ruins,it was a traditional castle but it was built in the 42nd century as the owner,an eccentric millionaire named James Rosen was obsessed with medieval structures that he financed the construction of a castle complete with a small village that was used for holiday tourists but the Terran Wars two years prior to the completion of the castle which was converted by the eccentric into a fort which miraculously held out throughout the whole ten-year war in result,the eccentric millionaire was proclaimed a hero who had saved but he mysteriously disappeared before the ceremony which resulted in the crowd running away in wild hysterics.

"...now the castle is abandoned but the descendants of refugees from some war or another made it to the village and restored it and now resides in the village,they claim that they hear the spirit of Ol' Rosen wandering inside his castle,shouting out commands that he used to boost the morale of his men to defend the castle such as...." Fayt sneaked behind Sophia and shouted, "Rrahhhh!!" this spooked Sophia as well as the other girls in her group,clinging onto the nearest thing which was Thomas' arm, "Umm,Fayt,I believe that scaring Miss Sophia was quite unnecessary and besides,you being here was under your request and I have the power to revoke that request and send you home. Got it." Fayt immediately shut up but the situation wasn't solved yet as Sophia was still clinging on his arm and the whole class watching the situation wasn't helping either as well as the blood circulation in his arm was being cut off.

"Miss Sophia ? You can let go now." Sophia quickly separated from him, "Sorry about that Tom." "It's alright Miss Sophia. Alright then,every student will be split into groups of three,Fayt,Miss Sophia you're with me,the rest of you may choose your team mates,I've asked the tour guide to set up a number of flags throughout the ruins,should you get the most flags,you'll get to choose the next location of our field trip as well as the privilege of being exempted from the next pop quiz." cheers were heard from the students as they all quickly split up to search for the flags.

As Thomas led Fayt and Sophia to ruins,he turned a corner quickly and promptly pulled the two students to his side before checking if anybody saw them, "Good,they didn't see us-" "What's going on!" Thomas quickly clamp his hand over Fayt's mouth,stopping further noise that might attract any unwanted attention, "Alright,here's the explanation,I found the location of the Purifier Sprocket,it appears that James Rosen bought it at an auction and used it as paperweight and if I'm correct,it should still be in his office,then we'll-" Fayt poked Thomas in the chest and said, "If you didn't realize, 'cousin' the place is abandoned and a wreck,for all we know,the office could be gone already,for all we know,the part could already be a million miles away from here." Thomas took out his communicator and typed in a series of commands before a holographic layout of the ruins was displayed,and a specific room kept bleeping, "That,dear 'cousin' is the location of the office that is still intact,shall we ?" Fayt became angry and stomped off on his own,turning to a corner before stumbling back,Thomas pulled out the Astral Blade which he learned how to store inside his new clothes' 'system', "What's wrong ?"

"...that!" Thomas turn to see Fayt pointing at a mammoth sized ape that appears to be guarding the entrance but the creature seemed intelligent so Thomas dismissed his weapon and approached the ape who seemingly smiled with his big mouth,showing a row of sharp pearly white teeth, "Ah!It seems that someone has decided to visit ol' James,greetings stranger,might I know your name." the ape said in a jovial and polite manner, "I am Thomas Leingod and I have come to claim a part for repairs on a err,machine that needs very special parts for replacements and I presume that you are James Rosen are you not ?" the ape nodded before responding, "Well,I guess you're curious about my condition yes ?.." Thomas nodded, "...well,to put it bluntly,I was playing around with a tome of magic or curses to be precise and foolishly mixed the ingredients and summoned a witch that trapped me inside the castle for these past centuries,I managed to learn how to manifest myself but only in other creature's bodies currently Big-Foot or was it the Yeti,my mind must be slipping."

Thomas checked James' current body and it indeed did resemble the fabled Big-Foot of the pictures he saw on E.C's data bank however skeptical he was, "I see what you mean....how about I try and lift your curse ?" the ape-like face of James Rosen's face lit up and said, "Really ? You'll help me out of this curse...but what of the dangers ?" Thomas called for the Astral Blade and showed it to him before putting it away. "Well Mr Rosen ?" "Alright you may go in but allow me to escort you since a few of the witch's pets are still around." James pushed away the rubble that barred the door before making his way in,allowing passage to the others,Thomas followed in before calling for Fayt and Sophia who had heard the earlier conversation but they heard two cries, "Aaaahhh!" they both rushed in before falling down a hole in the floor that had broke in due to Jame's weight.

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(Present,Earth,White House)

Charles Scotts,president of the Pangalactic Federation was sitting at his desk,hearing the report of General Wilde of how he was attacked by the mystery attacker,after the general was done with his report,Charles leaned back into his chair, "It appears from what you described of the man's uniform,he could be the remnants of Brigadier General Schilling's private forces. Reports of his defeat was clear but whether or not he died for real is unknown as several escape crafts were found across the universe after that but his officers that were found refused to divulge whether or not he's still alive but from what you saw,it is clear that his officers are on the move and possibly......the Brigadier General himself may be the one who ordered the theft." General Wilde was in deep thought,contemplating the President's words and after all,Charles use to be the head of the Federation's Intelligence Division.

"I see your theory behind this but the Invisible's layout clearly says that no one in the bridge could've make it to the escape bay in time and that includes the Brigadier General himself-" "Unless of course he added something in the prototype's blueprints but what did he install is the question." Wilde nodded in understanding,Charles took out a disc and gave it to Wilde, "General Wilde,I give you permission to enlist any and all trustworthy officers to investigate the probability of Schilling's officer's movement as well as a more details on this new dimension's inhabitants but keep it to a minimum. Understood ?" Wilde nodded and took the disc and exited the room via teleportation beam just before a woman who had a pregnant belly entered the room with a tray of tea and cakes, "Charles,who was that you're talking to a while ago ?" Charles smiled and helped the woman sit onto a comfortable couch, "Nothing Diana,just talking to an old friend on the vid-phone. So how are our babies coming along ?" He gave Diana a kiss on the lips, "Fine,they'll be fine when they come out. Tea ?" a teapot was held up as "Yes.."

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(Galactical Enterprise,Launchbay)

Galactical Enterprise is not only a successful business company that sells it's products throughout the Magic Dimension but also the local militia for Adquistes thus the company has a series of military outposts throughout the dimension as well as one in the building itself as the dome on top of the building that was just above the play-area for Jon-Jon,opened up to reveal a launchpad with a cruiser similar to Red Fountain's own air units which was red in color with black edges,Fayt,Cliff and Albel were given new supplies as well as a letter of explanation for Saladin,Izak was finishing an upgrade to his weapon selection with a technician who waved goodbye at him, "Thanks for the upgrades!" "Yeah!Call back when I have more okay!"

"What was that about Maggot ?" Albel asked while he polished his new cyber-claw that the Commodore provided for him. "Sheesh!Lighten up Albel,what makes you so moody." Izak retorted before taking out a hand-held device similar to a communicator but it had the company's logo on it which was G.E in a stylish fashion, "This my friend is the Com-pod,my friend over there gave it to me so he could send me weapon upgrades via digitization as well as sending us important info from anywhere and anytime." Fayt nodded while Cliff was checking out their new ship's system. "That thing will be useful in our mission,well since we've been informed of the situation better,we might as well check out the three schools for more information." At that moment,Olsen Wittcomb and his family arrived,young Jon-Jon a.k.a Johnathan jumped for joy as he saw Izak and ran up to him,Izak knelt down to the toddler's level, "What'cha got there in your hands kiddo." Jon-Jon opened up his hand to reveal Mikey,the little robotic playmate that was jumping and doing somersaults. "I twaut Mikey a new twick." Izak ruffled the toddler's hair before asking for Mikey to jump into his hand, "Don't worry,I'm just going to talk to him for a while." Jon-Jon nodded before Izak connected himself to Mikey through a new wave-link that was installed. 'Mikey,I'm leaving you a connectivity drive that allows you to contact me....and please,keep him safe if any danger threatens him' 'Affirmative' with that the connection was shut and Izak passed the playful toy back to it's owner.

While the little exchange was going on between the two robots,Fayt was talking to Olsen about the three schools, "I suggest you visit Alfea first since it's the closest and has plenty of people that would be able to help you with information that you'll need. Just tell them to take you to Headmistress Faragonda." Fayt thanked the man before Olsen's wife gave him a good look and said, "You better take good care of yourself,your own wife wants you to come back in one piece." Fayt felt guilty that he'd left Maria behind but she was pregnant and could risked losing the baby. He thanked Joanna for her words and started walking towards the ship where an argument was being held between Cliff and Albel and the thing that they were arguing over was the.... "I say that the ship's name is going to be the Falcon!" Albel was fingering the handle on his Crimson Scourge as he yelled out, "I say the machine's name should be Blood Dragon!" Fayt decided to break up the argument, "Alright,the name doesn't matter right now,we should get going." but the two ignored them and brought out their weapons but Fayt fortunately brought out his Levantine in the nick of time as the three weapons collided with each other.

_'Clang' _Cliff's Valorous Gauntlets hit Albel's Crimson Scourge dead on with Fayt's Levantine holding the two weapons from hitting their targets but then,smoke started emitting from Cliff's gauntlets while the blood on Albel's Sword was evaporating and Fayt's own sword was cracking. "No!" all three of them said simultaneously just before their weapons lost their power,Albel's Crimson Scourge was now a normal katana but Albel managed to gather up the red mist with a vacuum attachment in his cyber-claw,Cliff's Valorous Gauntlets were totaled as some of the parts were seriously damaged,making it nothing more than scrap metal while Fayt was worse off as his Levantine was crumbling to pieces,leaving the blade only at the length of a short dagger,he sadly put it into it's sheath. "I guess you now have more reasons to visit the schools now,they would probably have the means to restore it,so you better hop onto the Zero One." being beaten at the naming game,the four men got into the ship before it launched into the sky and for all the people of Adquistes to see in awe.

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(70 S.D,Rosen Castle Ruins,Underground)

"Ooooohh...what happened...." Thomas had just woken up in a dark room,he looked up to see some light coming through the hole they had fell through,he saw Fayt unconscious on the ground with Sophia just waking up from her uncomfortable position, "Miss Sophia,are you alright ?" Sophia slowly got up before examining herself for anything out of place, "It looks like it...." Sophia quickly helped the groaning Fayt up to his feet, "What happened to me ?" James Rosen in Bigfoot's body came out into the light,he looked like he had went through hell and back,he was cut in several places as some dried blood was caked in his fur, "What happened is that we fell into the lair of that damned witch's pets!That's what!" he was pulling along a big box that was marked 'Secret' and opened...err bashed it open since the combination lock was too tiny for his huge hands to reveal a cache of weapons that ranged from the primitive to the most technologically advanced.

"Take your pick,we'll need them to break through those beasts." Sophia grabbed a Staff while Fayt grabbed a Simple Sword and a Phase Gun as well as a few other items while Thomas and James didn't take any,Thomas didn't take any since his clothes was a portable armory, "James,how come you're not taking any weapons ?" James showed him the five-inch long claws that protruded from his hands, "I don't need them...alright,everybody ready,we'll need to go the opposite direction I came from and head for the cellar exit,it'll take a while but there are less monsters along the way." the group nodded as they made their way in the dark passage.

Through the trek they haven't encountered one monsters which made the trip easier,then they finally made it a dead end, "What now ?" James gestured for the three teens to stand back before he tackled the wall,breaking it open into a room that was kept lit by luminescent moss that was growing on the ancient walls,the room was filled up with several racks and shelves of wine,some were still intact and ready for tasting while the rest were shattered,James lumbered towards a control panel that was still functional but had seen better days, "This is James Rosen,open up all doors in the castle except for room 13 and 17 as well as corridor 12,activate security precautions." a series of sounds were heard,then the door to the cellar opened up but the staircase to it was ruined so they had to jump the gaps while James climbed the wall with his claws,fortunately,the door was wide enough for him to go through.

On the last leap that Sophia tried,the rotten wood broke away,leaving her to fall but she felt a hand clasp onto her forearm, "Come on Miss Sophia,you can make it,just hold on." with a little help from James,Sophia was quickly pulled into the first floor hallway and just before Fayt jumped into the room himself with his sword strapped to his rear which somehow got caught in the doorway,which he thought was caught by a monster or something, "Aahh!Help!Something got me!" the two other teens started laughing before pulling the embarrassed Fayt out,James was stifling his own mirth and held it in but the laughter earlier had earned the attention of several monsters that resembled overgrown household pests along with a few jelly-like blobs that had faces which were smiling in a menacing way.

"Great!Just great....at least we're lucky that the strong ones are elsewhere,let's go!" James growled as he got into a stance,ready to pounce any of the monsters while Fayt and Thomas stood in front of Sophia with their swords ready, "Alright,you keep Sophia from getting hurt while good ol' James take care of things!" James pounced at the nearest creature which was a huge rat and shred it to pieces but instead of blood and gore,a puff of smoke was seen before a small rat scurried away in fear and the rest of the 'pests' followed soon after but when it came to the Slime-Blobs,each piece that was separated turned into new Slime-Blobs that started surrounding them.

"This thing is too difficult for me to handle...Run!" James called out as he slammed a nearby table onto the Slime-Blobs before they all ran in the other direction,away from the gelatin-like monsters that are now advancing on them but luckily at a slow pace. _'Slam' _Thomas slumped to the ground as he was sweating like crazy,the same could be said of the others as they started drinking from their canteens that they had brought along,James suddenly went limp as he jumped out of a window,Thomas ran towards it and saw him running off into the woods.

"James!" a familiar voice answered behind him, "Yes ?" he turned around to see a middle-aged man with carrot-top hair wearing a worn out business suit that had seen better days,stuck behind a glass case but when Sophia touched it,she realized that it was a mirror and that James was stuck behind it. "As you see before you,the real James Rosen cursed to live for eternity in the looking glass and all because of-" "Me!" a woman in dark robes was walked into the room casually,she was a beautiful woman but Sophia looked into the mirror and saw the hideous image that was hidden by the witch's spell.

"Leave now or you'll face the consequences." Thomas pulled out the Astral Blade while the two prepared their own weapons but the witch scoffed at their weapons as she brought two knight armors in the room to life and they brandished their pole-axes,ready to decapitate their foes from a distance but another two silver-armor knights came to the rookie fighter's rescue with their swords and shields,the witch glared at James as he blew raspberries at her, "I know some tricks too,wort-face!Thomas!Bring her down now!" the witch put up a barrier that rebounded Thomas' attack,sending him flying across the room and into the wall beside the mirror in which James was stuck in, "Ouch!That's gotta hurt." he snapped his fingers and a couple of more knight armors appeared to hold back the witch's power but they were falling like dead flies as witch casted spell after spell.

"....She's powerful...too powerful..." Thomas staggered to his feet,using his sword to steady himself,he saw a small troop of silver armors fighting off an overwhelming of Slime-Blobs that are slipping through the cracks in the walls and door,Fayt was busy defending Sophia against two big Slime-Blobs but his sword was absorbed when he tried attacking it,before it was spit out,dissolving in the process from the acid the slimes were composed of. "Thomas!Do that move you did back at school yesterday!" "What are you talking about!" Thomas yelled from across the room as he and the silver armors worked together,fighting off a few Slime-Blobs themselves,a slight glow was coming off of him as the Astral blade started responding. James kept conjuring up more Armor Golems to help but the more he summoned,the more the witch destroyed. "Damn that harpy of a woman!" James shouted as he pounded on the mirror,creating a crack which started to emit beams of light, "Nooooo!" as if by a miracle,the light seems to pierce the witches body,harming her in the process.

Sounds of glass breaking was heard and the occupants of the room was momentarily blinded from the light that came from the mirror,after that,the trio of fighters saw a broken mirror and an dizzy James under it,he slowly stood up and shook his head to get a better bearing of his situation but when he saw that he was in the same room as his new friends,he went pale as he shook his head, "Good god!No!I got all of you trapped with me in this godforsaken mirror world!" he saw the witch who was breathing heavily and clutching her chest as to slow her rapidly pounding heart,her beauty seems to have faded away as her true appearance was seen(A.N:Which is totally gross by the way). "You!You get us out or I'll.." he moved his hand in a gesture to summon more Armor Golems but not even one came and the ones that were still there,fell apart as their source of magic was cut off. Fortunately,the Slime-Blobs were disintegrated when the light hit them,leaving only marks of dry clay on the floor.

"Errr,why can't I use magic anymore ?" James tried to perform magic again but all that came out was a small fireball that extinguished itself and burnt his hands before he yelled out, "Aaahhh!That hurts!!" he quickly blew on it several times before it cooled down to a more manageable temperature,the scene would've been funny if the situation wasn't so dire as the remaining Slime-Blobs merged together to create a humanoid shape of a Blob-Giant and in the middle of this mass of slime is the witch who was controlling the monster, "Let's widen the playing field shall we ?" the Blob-Giant slammed it's fist onto the wooden floor,breaking it into an underground part of the castle,the others managed to avoid the pieces of sharp and heavy armors that fell with them,rolling out of the way but James wasn't so lucky as a number of dull but still heavy pieces of black armor crashed onto him,Sophia screamed and covered her eyes while Fayt and Thomas looked away with saddened expressions on their faces, "Now that pathetic human is out of the way,let's play!" the Blob-Giant jumped onto the ceiling and seem to 'open' up with the witch seated on a slime-chair, "Let's create some fire shall we ?" the witch launch a barrage of small but deadly fireballs but a wall of ice that came out of nowhere intercepted the attack,protecting the three teenagers.

"What!...but who could've!" an arm was seen protruding through the mound of armor parts before a rather weary looking James crawled out,wearing a few pieces of armor that either were put on a moment ago or was by coincident in the fall was irrelevant as his hands were glowing, "I've got my groove back baby!"(A.N:He's eccentric,remember ?) he shouted as he jumped into the air and did a back-flip onto the wall and launched himself into the air and right at the witch with his hands firing off bolts of lightning at her. "Ha!You missed!" the witch proclaimed as she dodged to the left before being hit by a laser blast from Fayt's Phase Gun,she promptly went back into the safety of the Blob-Giant's body to heal herself.

"James!You're alright!" James landed and went into a battle stance with his arms surging with power. "I'm better than alright!I'm totally invigorated!" Thomas was relieved at his friend being safe and awkward as the said 'friend' is acting differently from the first time they met. "Look out!" Sophia called out as she tackled Thomas just before a hardened fist of slime slammed onto the spot where he was just now,he looked gratefully at Sophia, "Thank you Miss Soph-watch out!" he quickly switched positions with Sophia with him on top and resulted in him taking a hit from a fast-moving fireball that was meant for Sophia. "Arghh!..." Sophia saw the pained look on his face but he just grinned weakly, "Guess Jonas' words were true about these clothes....too bad that I can't say the same for my endurance."

He got up and took out a vial which was labeled 'Physical Enhancer' and gulped the whole contents down. "Glad I bought this at the Kiosk stand earlier." he felt a strong power coming from the Astral Blade and a plan was quickly formulated in his mind as he yelled out to James, "James!Cast your lightning bolts when I say so!" James just dodged a few fireballs and nodded, "Gotcha!" he continued evading while waiting for his cue and acted as a decoy to lure the attacks away from the others. "Fayt!Fire your gun on my mark!" Thomas turned his attention towards Sophia, "Sophia,can you set your staff in the middle of the room....cause I can do it instead if you're not up to it." Sophia shook her head as she tightened the grip on her staff, "No,it's okay. I'll do it." Thomas smiled at her courage, "Alright,set up your staff while we distract the witch....and get away from it when you're done." Sophia nodded before running at a cautious pace to the center of the room.

When Sophia reached the her destination and plunged her staff into the earth and started to run but she couldn't,she saw the reason why,the sleeve of her uniform was caught in the hands of a suit of black armor that was still intact and it came to life ready to bring down it's spiked gauntlets onto the trapped girl, _'Clang'_ Sophia opened up her eyes to see Thomas' sword holding back the gauntlets until he kicked it in the middle,sending it flying off a short distance."Run!I'll take care of the rest!"  
She was more than happy to oblige as she ran towards a relatively safe spot of the room.

Thomas had just finished off the black armor when he delivered a vertical slash and since the armor was quite rusty,the suit of armor fell apart instantly,he saw James collecting electrical energy in one hand and fighting off the Blob-Giant's attack with the other,Fayt was holding out quite well as he tossed a few grenades at the black suits of armors that was conjured back by the witch,he was apparently charging the Phase Gun for the shot that will be needed later,he eyed the Blob-Giant closing up again as the witch went back to heal the wounds that James had inflicted on her at which he saw his chance.

"Fayt!Shoot when I saw so!" he readied the Astral Blade in a way that seems similar to that of a golfer and hit the staff real hard which resulted in a loud sound of metal hitting metal was heard,the staff was sent flying into the air towards the Blob-Giant,as the distance between the staff and the Blob-Giant decreased, "Fayt!Shoot the staff.....Now!!" Fayt kicked another Black Armor Golem away before using the auto-targeting system to lock onto the staff and pulled the trigger which created a surge of energy flying towards the staff at a steady stream before making contact,destroying the staff and splitting the pieces that scattered and got stuck on the Blob-Giant's sticky body. Thomas was relieved that the witch didn't notice them as she was currently hellbent on killing the evasive James Rosen who was evading her attacks with ease and it looked like he was having fun doing it.

Seeing the witch about to come out again,Thomas shouted out to James, "Now!Cast your lightning on her!" "I'm more than happy to oblige!" James outstretched his left arm and released the energy that quickly reached it';s target in the form of a zig-zagging lightning bolt. The witch saw the attack and had just noticed the bits of metal and just muttered these words out of the entire selection of curses known to mankind and beyond, "Oh for the love of warts!"(I know,it's really lame but what the hey!) the Blob-Giant was electrocuted was the metallic bits of the shattered staff was charged with magical lightning,cooking the slimy body of the Blob-Giant,turning it into hardened clay. _'Shooting Star!' _ a streak of light hit the mass of clay,breaking it apart all the others saw that Thomas was just retrieving the Astral Blade that he had just tossed and the evidence of silver armband on his arm disappeared,meaning that he turned into that 'form' earlier to perform that move but had changed back to normal and he seemed that he didn't even realized it,the 'light' which hit the witch's body was the Astral Blade had hit her dead center as it had pierced through the witch's body but something was out of place. "What the ?" Thomas pulled out the robe that the witch was wearing and black smoke was rising from it,turning into a human-like shape, "Darn it!And all I wanted was to create my own world in the mansion...." the smoke disappeared instantly after that.

"So....James." Thomas had just pulled up Sophia from the pit they had fallen into earlier while James was sitting at the desk that although was rotten with age but had somehow avoided falling down into the pit,searching for the alleged part that his friend was searching for. "Yeah?" Thomas put his sword back into it's storage space that was his outfit before taking out a canteen to quench his thirst, "How come you could get out that mirror world just by breaking it." James put his hands around his chin,thinking about the question, "Ya know,I'd never tried that before. I guess the spell that the witch used was just a spell to preserve life in a pocket dimension or something....What?Why are you looking at me like that ?" Fayt and Thomas were giving him death-glares,the two of them sighed before continuing to search for the sprocket that seems to be somewhere around in the jumble of knick-knacks that James had claimed were valuable collectibles. "Hey!I found it!" Sophia picked out a tiny sprocket that was actually right under their noses as it was serving as paperweight on top a small pile of dust that must've been paper in the past.

"Alright!Thank you Miss Sophia!I'm one step closer to my father!" he inadvertently hugged Sophia but the girl blushed only a bit as she sighed, "Yeah....one step...closer.." she saddened as she knew that one day,Thomas would go away,possibly forever,Fayt saw the look in her eyes and whispered to her quietly, "Don't worry,you at least will have the time to spend together while he's here,won't you ?" Sophia nodded slightly before giving a hug to Thomas who returned a hug even though he was unaware of it.

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(Present,Red Fountain,Tower Arena)

The famous arena of the floating tower was deserted,except for one person who was sitting right on the edge of the tier about a few thousand feet from the solid ground below. Argus always felt relaxed when he sat there,he wasn't afraid of falling as he always has a great sense of balance since his childhood years. He was watching the clouds as they passed by,he occasionally used magic to manipulate the cloud's shape into various objects or people he knew,one was of a Wind Rider,and the next was of a collection of weaponry,the last one was of a dragon which was circling around a puffy cloud that resembled fire. "Why did I make that ?" he quickly turned the clouds back to normal until he felt a presence in the arena.

"I can hear you,you do know that right,Se-" brown hair clouded his vision, "Hi there." he was startled to come face to face with Reina,he fell and not to the back but forward as he accidentally dragged Reina for the ride and no energy shield could save them from a fall this high up. He did the only thing you could think of,he used his Battle-Bands to create an energy whip that he roped around an outcropping ledge and vaulted himself and Reina onto the garden tier just below the arena and they had landed rather roughly but Reina's fall was soften by a thick formation of flowers that formed a circle,scaring the doves that were resting there,flying away in a panic but it was a beautiful sight to both of them,(imagine Kingdom Hearts intro scenes) when the doves had flown away,Argus stood up and helped Reina up to her feet, "You should never try that when someone is thinking deeply in that kind of place....why aren't you resting." Reina's expression turned into a mixture of flustered,shy and serious, "I heard what you guys said about the Fortress of Light..." Argus' eyes narrowed as he hoped that the girl he might(denial,party of one) have feelings for won't say what he thought she was going to say, "..and I'm coming."

Argus was about to deny her request but Reina used a pleading look commonly known as the 'Puppy Dog Eyes' "Now you know that those only work on....." he tried avoiding it but he finally gave in,he sighed before brushing his auburn and blond bangs to the side to rubbed his aching head, "...alright,you can come but you must stay close to me....now let's get back to my room,we need to rest." he saw Reina blush as she suddenly got the wrong idea, "With me sleeping on the couch of course." Reina was a bit disappointed but relieved at the same time. _'At least he's a gentleman' _Reina smiled as she followed Argus to the elevator.

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Author's Note:What do you think about this chapter ? Tell me in your reviews and as I said earlier,the story will be going into hiatus until I get my 'groove' back or you can help and send in your own ideas that I could use and I have a little message for my newest reviewer, Game Master Shinryu:  
I guess your character won't be on my story after all since he won't be able to fit in but maybe he'll be in the sequel when I finally finish with this story of course,oh and thanks for the review.

Alright on to the:  
WiVo:

Scenario:  
Argus and Reina along with a few other characters reach the Fortress of Light and find nothing but the fortress falling apart and all that,who do you think he'll fight.  
A.)Dianovas  
B.)Ronand and Celina  
C.)Ronand's Creation  
D.)An army of monsters

Take your pick and I get back to you...eventually. This is Argus456 signing off.


	20. Chapter 19

Author's note:Nothing to say except thank you for reading my story and each and every review are very much appreciated and sorry for the long update in the previous chapter,my brother keeps hogging the computer so updates might be slower than usual but to make up for that,I've decided that each chapter from now on will be at least nine to pages long,I hope. Now that's over with,on with the story!p.s:Under the suggestion of Game Master Shinryu,I need a beta reader but I'm new at it so if any of my readers wish to help me with beta reading....can you explain how the process works first ?

Disclaimer:I don't own anything that's related in any way to Winx Club and/or Star Ocean:Till the end of time as well as any reference to Xenosaga and Gundam of all series,I only own the plot line,some of the places shown as well as the multiple Ocs that I've created.

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(Space Cruiser,En route from the 15th Militia Spaceport to Moonbase)

Andrew Heinmann was in his seat aboard the latest Destroyer-Classed Cruiser,Woglinde,drinking a cup of coffee while the rest of his officers were mingling with the ship's crew. He put the cup down and walked up to the thick windows to see the endless sea of space,he admired the stars as they shined,but was interrupted when a glowing red 'eye' of a huge metallic head blocked the view, "Gahh!What in the name of the galaxy is this!" he stumbled back onto the floor,the 'robot' pulled up what looked like the muzzle of a huge machine-gun, "Please Commander Heinmann,remain calm and don't do anything sudden,the Woglinde is now being boarded and I would terribly hate it should you get harm in the process. Gentlemen,please escort him to the 4th docking bay." a group of soldiers wearing purple and red versions of the Federation uniform came in and roughly pulled him up.

"Come on!We haven't got all day." the soldiers were obviously in a hurry when they jabbed him in the back with the butt of their rifles. _'I better play along for now'_ he was confident in his ability to escape as he eyed the Phase-Gun,foolishly strapped to his captors side,they could be easily taken but he'll bide his time....for now. He cooperated with the rough soldier and followed them to where they wanted to take him.

(Docking Bay Area)  
Andrew saw that the whole crew of the Woglinde was gathered in the huge docking bay which was empty and after all,the ship was still new and hasn't received it's shipment of fighters yet but he saw in the far corners of the room were a number of huge human-shaped robots that was similar to the one that he saw a while ago,the huge robots had a torso that has thick plates of armor that were dark green with shoulder-guards,one was larger than the other as it looked like a shield with three spikes at the top part of it,the legs ended with wide brims at the foot with quite numbers of thrusters installed,the heads were similar to army helmets with a big crimson lens that served as eyes, and all of this made Andrew's blood run cold, _'Impossible!That project was ended years ago....Project MS....Project Mobile Suit....' _his expression became stern as he saw another one of the robots entered the docking bay,the force-field keeping the air in, _'Brigadier General Schilling!That bastard's still alive!'_

The 'robot' entering was the one he had saw earlier threatening him with that gun,this one was more distinct than the others as it had shoulder-shields on each side with the machine gun magnetically attached to it's back,it knelt down and a hatch opened and the infamous Ex-Brigadier General Schilling jumped out of it with a smug look on his face as he strode up to Andrew who was glaring at him,the reason he was doing so was that he believed-no,he knew that Schilling had something to do with the murder of his nephew's family but the evidence that proved it went 'missing' at the last moment along with a few members of his officers in that which started the rumor that lied about his mental health which almost ruined his career.

When Schilling was a few steps away,he laughed mockingly in Andrew's face before taking out a cigar from his pocket and lit it with a lighter,he blew out a puff of smoke right in his face, "Well,well,well,if it isn't the illustrious Commander Andrew Heinmann,how's your sister and her husband,oh right. They're dead!" as Schilling laughed Andrew struggled with his fist,trying to punch Schilling who turned his back on him, "See these machines,they're called Zakus. It's a wonder how pre-space aged video games can provide ideas for the construction of these fighting machines,they'll be the main force when this war finally starts and it'll all end with me as a hero!" he started laughing again.

Andrew had heard enough,he grabbed the two guns from the two soldiers that were guarding him and shot all their limbs to cripple them and as he tried to fire on Schilling who remained calm in the situation but he found out that the power-packs in the guns were drained. "I ordered them only charge a minimal amount of power into them. Did you seriously think that I wouldn't anticipate that move ? Well ?....What the!" he saw Andrew setting one of the guns in his hand to overload and threw it at the room's gravity generator and with it's last bit of power,blew up and it took a big chunk out of the generator along with it.  
With the artificial gravity disabled,Andrew quickly scrambled towards the nearest machine which coincidentally was Schilling's Zaku,he relatively made it safely inside and pushed the button marked 'hatch' and made it in time as sounds of the outer plating being hit was heard as it was being pelted by a barrage of rifle shots, 'Damn!How do I move this hunk of metal!"  
he looked at the complex controls of the mobile suit and quickly found a basic manual that explained the Zaku's system in a simple manner.

"Stop!" the rifles stopped firing as Schilling ordered them, "Don't waste your energy reserves,the armor plates are designed to withstand attacks from Phase Cannons." at that moment,the red lenses of the hijacked Zaku lit up as it stood up and took a huge metal Axe from a hidden compartment and stomped towards Schilling,scattering his soldiers who got out of the way of the huge mecha but Schilling remained calm,still smoking on his cigar. "Aren't you scared ?" the speakers in the Zaku said,pointing the Axe directly at the man, "Heinmann,did you seriously think that I'd didn't come prepared ?" Schilling made a silent command to his men and they each shot three times into the vacuum of space and three more Zakus armed with rifles flew in,ready to eliminate any and all threats, "You see Heinmann,I have the best interest for the Federation,and what's best for the Federation now is to wipe out the beings from that new dimension and take their worlds for our own as well as people like you!" he shouted as he started laughing

Andrew was slightly terrified at Schilling's way of thinking, _'A complete and utter genocide of an entire galaxy!That's madness!' _He called out through the speakers, "It's madness Schilling!Total madness!" Schilling stopped laughing and became stern, "You dare object the man who has the best interests of the Federation ? Fine then,I hereby execute you and your men to death!"the three enemy Zakus moved in to attack Andrew who moved his own mobile suit into a defensive stance but before the three Zakus could open fire another Zaku kicked one of them in the head and activated the thrusters at the leg,destroying the head,leaving it virtually blind,two more Zakus tackled the remaining two enemy mobile suits and sent them flying out into space. A screen opened up beside the monitor of Andrew's unit controls to see a two of his officers inside one of the Zakus, "Sir!We should get out of here immediately,the sensors in this unit indicates that the Woglinde is now surrounded." "Alright,tell the others to follow my lead." "Roger that." the screen shut off as the four Zakus made their way towards the exits of the ship and quickly flew out.

"Brigadier General Schilling,shouldn't we pursue them ?" Schilling thought for a moment before answering, "No,and besides,what can they do with four regular Zakus while we have an army of other mobile suits at my disposal." he turn to see the crew of the Woglinde struggling to adjust to the loss of gravity,while he with the help of his men,made his way towards the door, "You the crew of this ship,will you join me in my quest for the betterment of the Pangalactic Federation ?" the whole crew remained silent,afraid of what this madman will do. "I'll take that as a no." he and his men exited the room and once on the other side of the door,Schilling said, "De-activate the force-field in the docking bay,we'll let the cold embrace of space greet them into the afterlife." the lead soldier saluted and pushed in the commands and soon after,the screams of the Woglinde's crew was heard and after that,complete silence.

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(Rosen Castle Ruins,Entrance)

After fixing their injuries their clothes,the James lead Thomas and his friends to the entrance where they had met the Bigfoot that he had possessed during that time,they circled around the hole in the wooden floor. When they made it outside,Fayt breathed in the fresh air and sighed in relief, "I'm sure glad to be out of that musty old place....er no offense James." James looked serious for a minute before he started laughing,the three teens huddled up a bit and started talking in hushed tones, "Man,the history books weren't kidding when they said this guy was crazy!" Thomas decided to partially defend his new friend's pride, "I believe the correct term is eccentric,crazy people are locked up in asylums and besides,he did save our lives." Fayt rolled his eyes, "Point taken but one thing though,what's with the whole silver knight business,where that suit of armor came from ? I mean,are you a super hero or something ?" Thomas was confused at the question but he felt a pulsing sensation before the Astral Blade appeared in his hand which scared Fayt, "Hey!No need to be hostile about it!" Thomas didn't hear anything as his mind was sent into the deep recesses of his sub-conscious.

_Thomas Leingod....do you hear me ? _Thomas was in his subconscious which was a representation of space and he was floating in it,wearing silver armor and he saw a man 'standing' there,the man was wearing silver armor similar to the one he was wearing, _Thomas Leingod,can you hear me ? _Thomas nodded as he drifted about in space,the knight 'walked' up to him and pulled the floating Thomas down onto a glass platform which the knight was standing on all along. _Good,we need to talk. _  
The knight pulled out a sword which to Thomas' surprise was the Astral Blade, "Why do you have my sword ?" _Your sword ?No,this sword doesn't truly belong to you,the Astral Blade contains the essence of the stars,the essence of my being,I only allow you to keep it until it has found it's destined owner _hearing the cryptic message,he was immediately sent back into consciousness to see Sophia wiping his forehead with her handkerchief. "Thank goodness,you're awake." Thomas lean his head upwards to see that he was in the school's hover-bus,currently going back to the city on the Upper Tier,sending their passengers home as it was nearing sunset and the only ones left on the vehicle were themselves and the driver.

"Where's James ?" Fayt who was sitting alone in front of them turned around, "Well,he said that he needs to restore his home,he intends to pretend to be James Rosen the Third....so as to avoid trouble with the authorities." Fayt sighed as he threw a long bundle of cloth onto Thomas' lap and partially on Sophia's and it fell heavily. "By the way,when you faint,keep your things where they belong." Fayt returned to his sitting position while Thomas uncovered the layers of cloth and took out the Astral Blade and a piece of paper fell off,Thomas picked it up and read it's contents, _'I leave the Astral Blade and Red Star Fragment in your care until they decide that their destined owner is ready.' _Something shiny fell from inside the note,Thomas picked it up and found a small piece of red crystal,it shined brightly for a moment before it stopped. "What was that thing Thomas ?" Sophia asked him but he shook his head, "Nothing!Nothing at all Miss Sophia." he quickly put the Astral Blade and the crystal fragment into his clothes but she was unconvinced so he tried to pick up a conversation, "...Er,so...Miss Sophia,what's for dinner tonight ?" Sophia was effectively distracted as she started talking about the night's meal.

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(Later that night,Esteed Estate)

Thomas was this time eating dinner with Sophia's parents,although it was dinner time,both males were talking instead of eating, "I see,so the Purifier Sprocket has been recovered,the next part would be what ?" Clive asked as he examined the tiny part in the palm of his hands with a magnifying glass, "Well,that is up to E.C,my Encyclopedia Computer to research the location of the next part but it'll take a while to-ow,ow,ow!" his ears were being pinched by Sophia while Clive's own ear was pinched by his wife,Kyoko who was annoyed just as much as Sophia and both of them said at the same time, "Dinner time is for eating not discussing machine parts!" they simultaneously let go and the two men rubbed their ears to ease the pain and replied, "Yes dear." "Sorry Miss Sophia."

After that,dinner went smoothly as Sophia's parents decided to do the washing,letting the two teens relax as it wasn't a school night. Thomas sat down in the living room with a bunch of folders, "I better prepare next week's learning schedule-hey!" Sophia took Thomas' first folder and threw it onto the table and jumped into the space beside him and grabbed the remote for the holovision, "No working today,we're going to relax,you hear me ?" Sophia said in an innocent but demanding tone,Thomas sighed as he put his folders away, "Alright,so what do we do for fun in the future ?" Sophia fingered the remote "Easy!We watch Holovision....or since it's only 8 O'clock,you can take me on a stroll through the park so we can talk about yourself since you're quite a mystery to the girls in class by now." Thomas knew what a holovision was but he wouldn't want to experience that just yet so he voted for.. "I think a stroll in the park would be nice." Sophia's cheek became a bit red as the stroll in the park was just a joke and that the park is supposedly filled with couples during the night but she nodded as she went to tell her parents about it while Thomas grabbed his coat and headed for the door,followed by Sophia.

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(Radiant Garden)(I know,Disclaimer:I don't own anything that belongs to Square-enix who owns Kingdom Hearts)

As the name described,the park was indeed radiant with it's bushes and fields of flowers all lit up by luminescent lights hidden in the undergrowth. As Thomas strolled along the stone paths,Sophia right beside him but a bit of distance between the two. "I can see why they call it Radiant Garden,the landscape is simply amazing...don't you agree Miss Sophia." he didn't get a response,he turned around to see Sophia silent and shivering and him being a gentlemen took off his coat and covered Sophia's petite body, "Thanks,it's gets kind of nippy during the last day of autumn but won't you be cold ?" Thomas shook his head, "Well no,having lived in London for most of my life conditioned my body to endure the cold...." he suddenly sneezed but covered his mouth to avoid making a mess, "..but only to an extent." Sophia giggled as Thomas wiped his nose with a tissue. "Care to share ?" Sophia rhymed as she uncovered part of the coat to invite Thomas who reluctantly accepted.

As they walked along admiring the scenery that the faunas provided,several other couples saw the two together and had mistaken them for an intimate couple as they both shared the coat. "Aren't they adorable together ?" one young lady asked her boyfriend, "Yeah,adorable....come on let's leave them alone." with that the small crowd dispersed and Thomas didn't notice them at all and the same went for Sophia as she snuggled closer to keep warm but as they started walking off towards a secluded area to get a better view... "Hey you!Give me your wallet!" a man dressed badly in an overcoat with a rather rusty dagger threatened the two, "Oh!And don't think of playing hero,I've got friends." the mugger whistled and two more men dressed in equally shabby clothing came out of the bushes,one was a big guy carrying a rather large pipe while the other was a scrawny little guy with nothing but a short knife.

"Alright then,hand over your valuables and we'll leave you alone." the guy with the dagger threatened as he pointed the rusted blade at the two,Sophia was scared as this was the first time to ever get mugged and the stories she heard from her classmates didn't help the situation one bit _'What are they going to do ?Rob and kill us ?Please leave us alone!' _she shivered not from the cold but from fear but she felt a pair of hands steadying her shaking,she remembered that Thomas was with her,he was relatively calm but a hint of annoyance was heard as he called the Astral Blade which was concealed in the coat, "Even when I got to the future,there are still problems with muggers!" the lead mugger snickered, "Hey boys,we've got a loon here,maybe we should just put him out of his misery and take his gal for a little fun." his accomplices snickered but that was a bad move, "That's it!" Thomas threw the coat into the air and lashed out with the Astral Blade as he knocked the dagger out of the mugger's hands and knocked him down onto his rear end before pointing the sharp end of the sword at the throat of the leader of the muggers, "Ah,ah,ah,you seem to have forgotten about your girlfriend and my associates." Thomas saw Sophia was being held by the big guy and the scrawny one was holding the knife at her throat.

"Drop that fancy sword of yours or your lady friend will suffer for it!" Thomas reluctantly dropped the Astral Blade which made the muggers calm down but also drop their guard as the knife was lowered from Sophia's neck and the coat that was thrown into the air earlier fell into Thomas' hands,he quickly used it as cover while he retrieved the falling sword,knocked out the leader with a quick hit with the hilt and while the coat was still covering his actions,he quickly mimicked the first mugger's voice, "Alright,let the dame go,we got what we need." the two muggers,believing that the voice was their leader's,let Sophia go but that was a mistake as the coat was lowered and Thomas dashed towards the two grabbing the scrawny one's knife and jabbed it into the big guy's knee which caused him scream in pain and delivered a sweeping kick that made the big guy fall onto his partner,crushing him under the heavy weight.

"Pretty fancy moves there boy." Thomas swung the Astral Blade and it was met with an energy sword, "Whoa there,be careful,you almost lopped off my head!" Thomas saw a group of people wearing multicolored clothing that was mainly a blue jumpsuit with flowing red capes as well as helmets that kept their faces hidden behind visors and to top it off,each suit had a variety of symbols that glowed in the dark, "Who are you people ?" the man who almost got decapitated replied calmly, "Well,you must be new around here,we are the guardians of the law,we are the deliverers of justice,the ones that makes things right...we are the Patchaman!" their symbols glowed brighter for a moment as the group of five went into weird poses,Thomas was tempted to laugh at this but the situation prevented this,he observed the odd group,three of them were men of regular build with the third a bit on the skinny side,the other two was a woman and a rather huge robot.(Ta da!I present the descendants of the power ranger wannabes from the second season of Winx Club!Think of them as more intelligent than their ancestors,okay,okay slightly more intelligent)

"Thank you citizen for putting these ruffians in their place,we'll take them to the proper facilities." the robot hefted all three of the knocked out muggers and before they went away to who knows where,the Patchaman leader tossed him a device, "Call us if you need assistance but from your fighting spirit,you'll probably have no need for it but just case of course." he slammed a smoke bomb into the ground and vanished as the wind blew the smoke away. "Well,I guess that was an interesting event." Thomas pocketed the device and put his coat again around Sophia and led her the towards their home and as they moved,autumn ended as the first snowflake fell,signaling the beginning of winter.

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(Present,Alfea)

Headmistress Shara Faragonda was sitting at her desk,reading the reports that the specialists had given but she rubbed her head as it ached from doing such a repetitive task. "I'm not sure whether or not should I retire..." she looked at the photos on the wall to her left,it showed the entire faculty having a party in celebration of the defeat of the Army of Decay as well as several others that displayed past achievements that she had as well as the graduation ceremony of the Winx girls,she smiled and sighed contently and shuffle the reports, "Guess I'll continue working here until I can no longer do it but that would probably be forever." she chuckled at the irony of her predicament.

"Headmistress!A Red Fountain ship just arrived here and has landed in the courtyard!" a Specialist informed her as he ran out to see if the ship's passengers were his friends from Red Fountain but were the entire campus be in for a surprise.

(Courtyard)

The Storm-Jet landed and the side-hatch opened up,a crowd of students had gathered there to see the commotion,Griselda went to see the occupants of the ship,Fayt stepped out with Cliff and Albel closely behind,the last one to exit was Izak who carried with him his 'suitcase', "Excuse me gentlemen but can you tell me the reason for your arrival to Alfea." Griselda asked sternly as she would to any other student at the school. Fayt quickly pulled out an envelope and gave it to Griselda who reminded Fayt of an equally stern teacher who used to teach him history before all his adventure started and it seems it's still hasn't ended yet.

"It seems that Mr Wittcomb sends you as a relief team to assist Red Fountain but why stop here at Alfea ?" Fayt quickly covered up the details that the commodore forgot to tell him, "Well,um....er we came here to get information so as to get a better understanding of Red Fountain's situation..."he brought out what was left of his Levantine, "...as well as to find someone that can repair our weapons." Griselda examined the Levantine before handing it back to Fayt, "I see....Very well,follow me." she stared at the crowd of students who quickly opened up a path,unless they wanted trouble of course but who would.

(Faragonda's Office)

Shara had just finished reading and organizing the reports,waiting for the ones that arrived on the ship earlier to enter her office, 'Click' "Right on cue." Shara muttered as Griselda led in a group of four men into the room, "Miss Faragonda,these gentlemen are a relief team for Red Fountain,they wish to see you before they go." Shara gestured for Griselda and the 'relief team' to sit down to talk, "Let's get to the point,you're not a relief team. Are you Mr Leingod" Fayt was slightly uncomfortable as their cover was blown but Shara laughed a bit and quickly calmed down, "Don't worry,I was just having a bit of fun. Olsen contacted me prior to your arrival,so on to the first thing of business,your weapons please." Fayt took out the Levantine and it's pieces and presented it to Shara.

"I see,your weapon is of light,light that was born from the Dragon's Fire." "Er...Dragon's Fire ?" Fayt scratched the back of his head as he had no idea what she just said, "Yes....oh I forgot,you're not from around here....to put it shortly,the Dragon's Fire is the source of all life in the Magic Dimension and your sword was forged and imbued with an extremely tiny fragment of the Dragon's Fire but even the slightest fragment,the Dragon's Fire is still a very powerful source of magic and it appears that it still retains that fragment.....now let's see if I can fix it." Shara started mumbling out incoherent words,which were actually a restoration spell of the ancients.

After a few moments of chanting,a bright light engulfed the Levantine and it's pieces,Fayt backed off a bit,afraid of what might happen but breathed out in relief as he saw the Levantine,repaired and somewhat along the lines of being as good as new as in just came out of the forge. "Thank you Miss Faragonda but would you mind see if you can repair my friend;s weapons as well ?" Shara sip a bit of tea from her cup before Rosa burst into the room,chasing followed by Kiko,trying to catch a book that was flying around and it seemed to be blowing raspberries at the angry girl, "Come back here yo-you-Ahh!"  
Rosa screamed in frustration as she tried jumping up to catch it but the book kept evading her and the other occupants of the room just stood there,watching the girl being teased and humiliated by a living book.

"That's it!Rosa Magic Winx!"(I can't help it,it's so catchy,the fairies that will be in Argus' group will use that line) she put up a display of amazing proportions but only to the four newcomers as she transformed into her holy fairy form and after the transformation was complete,she increased the beat of her wings and caught up with the book and made a grab for it which succeeded and transformed back into her normal form but she forgot that she was a few feet high in the air, "Aahhh-Oopmh."  
She was caught in Fayt's arms as he had rushed over to her rescue,she blushed as she was in the arms of a handsome man that was certainly older than her, "Hey Fayt!You're married to Maria,remember ?" Fayt quickly set her down and apologized, "I'm sorry...er,Rosa was it ?" Rosa nodded as she saw the evidence of the blunette's marital status,a golden ring on his ring finger,she sighed a bit in disappointment, _'Darn!And here I thought I've found a cute guy and he's already married...oh well,there's still plenty of boys in the Magic Dimension'_

She suddenly noticed the bluenette's companions and evaluated them out loud, "Hmm...Big muscles,blond hair with gray highlights,looks like an all brawn and no brains but he seems smarter than he looks" she said as she took a glance at Cliff, "Hey,I'll take as a compliment...I think." Rosa turned to see Albel just turning his face away from her, "Unique hair,lean and slightly girlish figure,has an air of mystery and a hot goth look to boot." Albel raised up his Cyber-Claw which piqued her interest but she decided to avoid Albel and lastly,Izak. "Hmm,cute not too young,not too old....how old are you ?" Izak responded in a jovial way, "Well,considering that I was constructed three years ago and was just activated, I would be three and a half years old and I apologize for my prudence your highness." Izak bowed a bit which surprised his companions that the cheeky girl in front of them is royalty. "I guess you did your homework but flattery will get you nowhere considering your an android,come along Kiko." the pixie bunny followed his owner and blew raspberries at the four. "Why that puny little insect!" Albel unsheathed the Crimson Scourge which still had a little bit of ancient blood on it and they heard a dull thud,and a cry of pain.

"What's going on ?" Fayt ran out to see Rosa on the floor in a fetal position, "Theres..the...there's darkness...here..." and right at that moment,Albel came out with the Crimson Scourge,Rosa screamed as if she was being chased by ghosts and started crawling away from Albel, "Get away!Get that evil blade away from me!" she tried standing up but she felt her energy being drained and collapsed. Seeing her reaction and putting two and two together,Fayt yelled at Albel, "Albel put the Crimson Scourge away. Now!" after having experiencing close calls with Fayt's Destruction Gene in the past,Albel put his weapon away. "Come on,get her some water." Fayt carried Rosa into the office and gently put Rosa onto a couch,her skin was awfully pale but as the seconds passed,she regained her color and woke up, "What hit me ?" she saw the Crimson Scourge in it's scabbard and quickly sprinted for the door,peeking through the door she called out.

"Miss Faragonda,that weapon he has is full of dark energies similar to a vampire's." then,she ran off to escape the Crimson Scourge's dark aura. "I see,Mr Nox. I'm afraid that your sword contains an immensely dark powers which seemed to have conflicted with Rosa's Light powers,you'll have to see my colleague,the headmistress of Cloud Tower,I suggest you visit her first before Saladin of Red Fountain,here." she quickly wrote a letter on a blank sheet of paper and gave it to them, "That will allow you entrance into Cloud Tower,I'll contact her for you."

Fayt nodded and took back the Levantine and felt the comforting warmth that it gave him everytime he held it, "Thank you." Faragonda nodded in acknowledgment before the four men exited the room. Avalon suddenly stopped his illusion spell and got out from behind the couch, "So are they the ones that will help our young savior ?" Faragonda sipped her tea again before she answered, "Yes,he and his friends will help the young Keeper,he'll need all the help he can get to face his destiny." "Indeed....." Avalon nodded as he saw through the window,the Storm-Jet lifting off the ground and sped off in the direction of Cloud Tower.

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(Elicoor II,Irisa Fields)

The planet where most of Fayt and company's adventure took place,a world that was engulfed in war just a few short years ago,brought to peace by Fayt's exploits,now the world is no longer under the UP3 pack and now shares commerce with the Federation as well as other Spacers who wish to trade goods but all this takes place in Peterny,the center of Elicoor's commerce,leaving everywhere else seemingly the same and that included the remnants of the Executioners and that meant that traveling in numbers are essential for safety or if you had experienced escorts.

"All abnormalities in the Eternal Sphere must be deleted,surrender and be assured of a quick death." said the Proclaimer,an angel-faced being as it floated with the assistance of it's angelic wings,but these things were far from being saints as a group of them assaulted a small band of travelers who cowered in fear but they were saved when a pair of daggers came slicing off a chunk of it's wings, '_Mirror Slice!' _A red-haired woman declared as she prepared her daggers she just retrieved and launched a flurry of slashes that all hit the Proclaimer's weak points,effectively destroying it.

'_Titan's Fist!' _A portal opened up as a massive fist crushed another Proclaimer and the man who summoned it was a burly looking old man who was only wearing the lower half of a robe,carrying a sheathed katana before grinning,satisfied with his work,he charged off to the last of the Proclaimers. '_Raging Helmet!' _A short little guy jumped into the air and his helmet accumulated a large amount of energy and sent out an array of lasers that created a dome formation,'frying' two of the Proclaimers to a crisp and he pumped his gloved fist into the air before grabbing an axe that was bigger than him and charged towards where his friends were.

'_Fatal Fury!' _three Proclaimers were knocked into the air as the burly man charged through them with his arms outstretched and the woman started 'floating' upwards and lightning began surrounding her before yelling out, '_Splitting Sky!' s_he held her hands together and a large green ray of wind and lightning which ripped through the tough material the Proclaimers were made of and to finish it off,the little guy threw his axe into the air, '_Star Fall!' _a series of meteors rained down on the weakened Proclaimers,incinerating them but causing no damage to the surrounding.

"Thank you Miss Zelpher for you escorting us." the leader of the travelers said as he offered a satchel of money but the little guy jumped up and took it before using his long bushy raccoon-like tail to hold onto it, "Roger!You hand that money back to them,now." Roger tried using the puppy-dog eyes and it would've been effective as he used his tail to his advantage but his comrades were immune to this, "Aww!Come on Nel. Can't we keep the money...just this once ." Roger Huxley was suddenly picked up by the burly man, "Give the good people their money back you little raccoon or I'll be having Roasted Huxley with Chestnuts for dinner tonight." Roger immediately paled at the comment as he wiggled out of the rather loose grip and gave the money back to the travelers, "Thank you Adray but were you really serious about roasting him ?" Adray started laughing while the Menodix humph with his bushy tail standing straight, "Sorry about that but you should have the look on your face." Adray started laughing again but saw Roger's strongest Symbology attack that he had used earlier being performed and the intended target was him as he quickly ran away,even he can't withstand that attack without ending up in a comatose state at the least..

When the other two had gone,Nel walked towards the damaged stone bridge which connected Irisa Fields to the Sanmite Steppes,she walked across it and into the small path which hid the staircase into the Aquatic Garden of Surferio but she didn't to fight for a while,she continued walking until she ended up on the edge of Sanmite Steppe,she walked towards a large boulder and sat upon it. "It's only been a few days since Albel left,I should be rejoicing....and yet,I feel somewhat empty. Why do I feel this way ?" She sighed as she removed her striped scarf,followed by her Blades of Ryusen,her boots and then,her other items of clothing until she was dressed in only a crude one-piece swimsuit that she always wore under her clothes so that she could infiltrate areas through waterways and the occasional sewage hole but today,she wished to relax as she wade deeper into the river until she stumbled upon a tranquil lake,climbing a bit up to a nearby outcropping tree and used it as a diving board,jumping into the lake,she felt a sense of self-awareness as she drifted along in the cold but comforting feeling of the cool lake water.

_'Why does the cold comfort me like the warmth ?' _Images of a cold metal arm and a bare arm holding her tightly,both keeping her cold and warm at the same time,it reminded her of the spar they had before he went away but it was more like a duel than a sparring session,she remembered every detail of the session as she laid herself onto the lush green grass and let the sun dry her wet skin as she reminisced about the 'sparring session' she and Albel had before he left....

_(Flashback,Three Days Ago,Kirlsa Training Facility)_

_The Kirlsa Training Facility was the barracks for the Black Brigade,the building itself consisted of four floors with the final floor as an open air arena and two people were having a sparring session using wooden versions of their own weapons. "Hyah!" Nel yelled out as she tried to hit Albel with her wooden dagger but missed as Albel slammed his wooden katana onto Nel but she parried the attack with the larger of the two practice weapons in her hands and used the second dagger to hit his unguarded abdomen but it was met with his artificial arm which was covered in leather to prevent the claws to harm anyone._

_'Snap' Although Albel's claw was covered,it didn't prevent him from using the metal limb's strength and snapped the wooden dagger in half,Nel countered by slamming her remaining dagger onto Albel's practice katana,splitting both weapons into splinters of wood. "Hmph!Let's bring this up a level shall we ?" Albel sneered as he whispered this silently into Nel's ear,making her spine tingle with either excitement or fear of him being so close but she just nodded and both of them jumped back from each other before they each brought out their own weapons,Albel used his Crimson Scourge to cut off the binds from his claws._

_"Come and get me Maggot!" Nel ran towards Albel,hoping to tackle him and knock the Crimson Scourge out of his hand but Albel anticipated this tactic and moved his sword in a uppercut slash, __Air Slash! A wave of wind energy surged towards Nel,forcing her to guard against it but the moment she let down her guard,she saw Albel bring down his Crimson Scourge for a final strike but Nel used the Blade of Ryusen to deflect the attack but she was surprised when Albel suddenly maneuvered behind her and wrapped his metallic claw-arm around her waist,making her feel uneasy as Albel had the upper-hand as he brought the tip of the Crimson Scourge closer and closer towards her face but stopped when it was just a few inches away from scarring her face,she wondered why he did that. "We wouldn't want to scar such a beautiful face now,should we ?" Albel caressed the nape of her neck with his...tongue ?_

_She was disgusted and yet excited by his actions as he stopped and breathed in the scent of her hair, "Palmira Flowers......." Albel said as he recognised the smell as he intentionally dropped the Crimson Scourge and he wouldn't do such a thing unless it was of utmost importance but Nel also dropped her Blades of Ryusen which was the only thing of her late father's but she didn't care as her feelings were numbed when Albel wrapped his good arm around her waist,linking together with the metallic one,working together to keep her cold and warm at the same time, __'He has such a gentle touch.....' Nel thought as she held Albel's arms with her hands. They started swaying for a while to a non-existent tune as they were suddenly blissfully unaware of their surroundings,both of them didn't care if one of their respective subordinates saw them._

_Then he did the most unexpected thing,he suddenly twirled her around and caught her expertly,then bending their bodies downward into an arch,feeling hot and embarrassed at their position,Nel blushed brightly as Albel's face was only a few centimeters from her's. He turned his face a little bit sideways as he whispered into her ear, "I win the duel......Nel...." he gently laid her onto the stone floor of the arena before walking off towards the entrance with his Crimson Scourge in hand,leaving the red-faced Nel behind._

_(End Flashback)_

Nel became red-faced again as she thought about Albel, "Do I have feelings for him ?" She pondered this until became dark, falling asleep before she could figure it out,she hugged herself closer wishing for Albel's comforting arms to hug her instead but there was no such luck as she fell asleep near the peaceful but lonely lake under the bright moonlight.

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(Lake Fortress of Light Ruins,Courtyard)

Three dark portals opened as Dianovas and a platoon of Beast Troopers,followed by several Juggernauts which were there to replace the ones that were incinerated earlier. Dianovas sensed Ronand's and Celina's presence,he started walking in the direction where he sensed them,followed closely behind by the Army of Decay.

When he reached the location of the only undamaged structure in the entire fortress,the Hall of Meditation, "Army of Decay,stay here." he ordered the monsters behind him as he opened the door inside to see Ronand putting attachments onto his creation,the attachments looked like an extra pair mechanical limbs that seemed quite strong, "Ronand,Lord Cain has requested that you return to your post back at the castle before moving to the Realm of Tides." Ronand ignored the armored man as he too was engrossed in his work to notice but his assistant,Celina did and walked towards him, "Please be patient until he finishes his work.

"Very well,I'll wait but please be cautious as the Keeper of the Dragon's Fire might come to rescue...these statues." Dianovas muttered as he saw the petrified Templars. "I'll be outside if you need me." Dianovas said as he exited the room and Ronand said out while working, "I know he'll be coming,I'm a genius after all. My Mech-Golem will take care of that pesky keeper...permanently...." he chuckled slightly as he continued working on his machine.

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(Space,Near the Woglinde's former location)

Andrew and his officers had barely escaped suffering the same fate of the Woglinde's crew as the high-tech Destroyer was hijacked and went into hyperspace to an unknown location. Andrew and his squad of stolen Zakus saw the frozen corpses of the Woglinde crew,looks of horror etched on their faces,Andrew noticed that one of them was one of his officers that didn't escaped,he had been shot in the back of his head,crystallized blood floated near the gaping wound in his head,Andrew forced himself to look as they were going to need something that might help them get to the nearest spaceport but all they found were a bunch of dead bodies and a few weightless carts of tools that were of no use to them until they stumbled upon a particular item.

"Sir!We've found a crate of boosters!" Andrew moved the Zaku towards a large container unit which was forced opened by his officers,inside were a number of rocket boosters that seemed to have been designed just for mobile suits,either that or a large fighter, "Alright,we'll weld the boosters onto the container itself as it would save the energy we have left in these machines and besides,the machines might break apart as a result of the booster's speeds....but I wonder why would such a cargo would be left behind,guess Schilling's getting forgetful now." his officers shrugged their shoulders as they each found a space-suit within a compartment of the cockpit, "Well,that was convenient...." they all put on the suit and opened up the cockpits and drifted out with a life-line tied around their bodies to keep them from drifting too far.

Grabbing a few abandoned welding tools,the small group of men started working on welding the boosters onto the containers, careful not to blow themselves up in the process,while doing this,Andrew climbed into the container itself to grab more boosters and thanks to the weightlessness of space,the task was easier but welding it on was easier said than done as the boosters would occasionally drift off and had to be retrieved by one of them piloting a Zaku so they left two Zakus piloted so that the mobile suits can keep the boosters in place while they were welded. Andrew looked at the slow pace that this process took and sighed in his headgear, _'This is going to take a while...' _he went back to welding the booster rocket.

While they did this,a Zaku from Schilling's forces saw this and reported their actions to Schilling, "Sir,Heinmann and his men are attempting to create a makeshift barge from a large container unit,should I dispose of them while I have the chance ?" a series of crackles were heard as it's communication system was damaged when his unit was tackled earlier by the hijacked Zakus but it finally came on with the image distorted but Schilling's voice was clearly heard, "I see he's still around and as for disposing of them....we'll let them go,all they have are four Zakus and a commander with an 'unstable mind' return to the Woglinde for further instructions" the enemy Zaku quietly slipped away in accordance with his orders.

"Hey commander,did you saw something flying away just now ?" Andrew turned around to come face to face with the face of one of the dead corpses,it's expression of sheer terror scared the living daylights out of him,he pushed it away to escape it's frozen gaze, "One of you guys in the mobile suit,gather up the corpses and put them all in one of the smaller containers....but gather their dog-tags,we'll prepare a funeral..." a Zaku activated it's boosters while grabbing a container unit,coming out of the cockpit and carefully remove the tags which held the names and serial numbers of military personnel and should a dog-tag be found without it's owner for a period of time,that person is considered M.I.A,Missing In Action until that person or at least the person's body is found however in this situation was completely different. The officer drifted about in the clumps of dead bodies,opening collars of uniforms of the dead to find and retrieve the tags,the officer prayed for each and every soul of these men and women to rest in peace as he continued the daunting task ahead of him....

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(Dawn,Red Fountain,Argus' Room)

After sleeping an entire day away,Argus was rejuvenated and decided to leave Reina with a squad of Specialists to keep her safe,after all,what's the use of being an instructor of Red Fountain if you can't use the authority you have once in a while. He quietly opened his closet to grab his spare uniform as well as his equipment,namely the Battle-Armbands,he saw the Red Star Pendant dangling from his neck as he silently changed his clothes but didn't put his boots on since he didn't want to risk Reina hearing the soles squeaking.

'Thud' Argus accidentally kicked a chair and it didn't fall but it did bruise his shins and he wasn't wearing shoes,he wanted to scream but clamp his mouth shut as he hopped about,whimpering as he rubbed it with his hands. "....Teehee,don't be so rough there Argus...." Reina muttered as she moved about in bed,hugging the second pillow closely before snuggling her face even closer,Argus was alarmed that Reina was dreaming about him, _'What did she meant by not so rough there ?' _he thought for a moment but his face reddened as a variety of scenarios popped into his mind,the next one being more obscene than the last,he shook his head and hit himself on the head, _'Stupid hormones acting up again,better get out while she's still sleeping'_ Argus quickly tiptoed to the door and used a silent door opening spell,buffing out the creaking noises.

'Click' the door was closed and Argus made a run for it while putting his boots on at the same time and just as he was about to put on the second boot,he tripped and tumbled into the elevator and to his surprise,he saw Reina waiting for him, "Why hello there,weren't you planning to leave me behind..." Reina said with the obvious intent on sarcasm, "I'm sorry okay...now please,a little help here." Argus was stuck in a really tight situation as his limbs somehow got tied up by his cape when he fell and he looked like a human-pretzel. Reina laughed at Argus predicament, "Haha,very funny. Now that you had your laugh...help me up...please." Reina just giggled as she just tugged at a specific corner of Argus red cape and he was instantly free,albeit slightly dizzy from the blood rushing to his head a moment ago.

He stood up and stared at Reina, "Thank you,but please return to my room,you'll be safer here." Reina pouted, "Naw-uh!You promised me that you'll take me and as a prince,you must never ever break a promise or lie for that matter." Argus sighed in defeat as he gave Reina the standard equipment pack for Specialists, "Alright but if your going to come along with me,you'll have to learn a few more techniques than just swinging a sword or randomly shooting away with a blaster or using fairy magic,you'll need a crash course in my untested course for amateur fighters." Reina gulped as he said the word 'untested', "..unless of course,you want to stay here...." Argus teased which made Reina fume with anger,she was about to push the button for the elevato controls but Argus grabbed her hand before she could do so, "My training grounds is a bit far by foot. Here,go through this..." Argus opened up a portal right where the door was which Argus casually walked through,quickly followed by Reina.

(Red Fountain's Inner Walls,Black Mud Swamp Region)

Red Fountain had expanded since the true destruction of the Trix in their last ditch effort of a final assault on Red Fountain in order to cripple Magix's defenders but was stopped when Bloom appeared along with her friends,wiped out the Trix's army in one fell swoop but the Trix were a stubborn bunch as they wasted all their energy to fight,draining even their life force. In the end,the Trix brought about their own destruction.

Now as a reminder of that epic battle,two long walls were constructed,the Inner Walls was used as a border to the battle site while the outer walls were at the edge of Black Mud Swamp,keeping the site preserved as several lives of Specialists and Fairies were lost in order to buy time for the Winx's ultimate attack which was an adaptation of the three school's headmasters' attack,the Trinity Dome but the Winx's attack,Winx Wave was far more powerful,remnants of that battle could still be seen from the air,a number of damaged energy weapons,a plot of land was set aside for a memorial for the lives lost but fortunately,Reina was taken to the Inner Walls for her training.

"Aahhh!" Reina screamed as she fell headlong towards the ground but Argus jumped to her rescue as he grabbed onto her before using his magic to slow their descent,after setting foot on the ground,Argus told Reina, "A Specialist but in this case,a fairy should be prepared for any situation placed before them and deal with their common sense and do it rationally as well. Now that the first lesson has been taught and hopefully ingrained into your mind." Argus walked towards a rack of wooden weapons,he grabbed two wooden swords and tossed one to Reina who caught it with a bit of difficulty, "First,we'll see how good your reflexes are.." Argus charged towards Reina before delivering weak but numerous blows to see if Reina could handle it but after the first fifteen hits were defended,an opening was seen and taken advantage of as Argus quickly delivered the blow,Reina closed her eyes,waiting for the hit to connect but all she felt was the wind blowing gently at her midriff,she opened her eyes to see Argus' face,inches from hers,she blushed before she felt a weak tap on her skin, "Impressive,fifteen hits were blocked before I got to you but you had the chance to strike me when I went for your exposed abdomen,whenever your fighting,never let your guard down and always look for openings in your opponent's defense." Argus took the swords away and replaced them with staffs.

"Here,we'll be testing out your defensive skills."he tossed the staff like the sword and Reina managed to catch it since it was longer,it was quite easy but handling it was another story as Reina hit herself at the back of her head,Argus snickered at this, "Don't even say it." Argus nodded before he went into an attacking stance while Reina went into a defensive one, "Alright,I won't hold back so don't blame me if you get hurt. " Argus suddenly charged towards Reina,attacking with only half his strength as he didn't want to hurt her but he didn't hold back the skill,he slammed his staff into Reina's middle but was blocked,he used the other end to hit Reina's exposed sides but was again blocked by a magic shield, "Good,you're using your common sense but don't rely on magic too much as it might undermine your fighting strength." Argus twirled his staff above his head before jumping into the air,coming down at a fast rate. Reina readied her staff to defend against the aerial attack.

When the staffs collided,Reina's legs buckled under the strain from the attack but saw Argus left his chest exposed for attacks,Reina quickly delivered an uppercut kick but it was caught by Argus' hand,he released her leg before stopping his attack, "Good,you saw my weak point and taken advantage of it but your opponent may not be so foolish to let you hit them so easily so always prepare another counter-attack just in case your first one was stopped." Reina panted as her stamina was low as she just woke up a while ago. Argus handed her a canteen, "Here,drink up. I'll need you ready and alert to fight when we get to the Fortress of Light." Reina's expression lit up as she accepted the canteen,drinking it's contents,she immediately felt her body regaining it's energy. "Potions made by Eraklion's potion-makers,one swig of this can restore a person's health but only partially,too bad I brought only one canteen-full,you better keep it...just in case." Reina nodded and changed the canteen to a suitable size to go into her pouches.

A drop ship suddenly flew overhead them,the hatch opened up and Trevor came out,just hanging on to a handle, "Hey!We're going to Lake Roccaluce so get on board!" Jake tossed down a pontoon ladder which Argus grabbed onto,he held out his free hand to Reina, "Guess our training session is over,care to come with me ?" Reina accepted and slip her hands into Argus' before the ladder started going up while the drop ship went for the center of Lake Roccaluce, "Huh ?" Argus saw a ship speed towards the distant structure of Cloud Towers, "What is it Argus ?" Reina asked as she didn't noticed the ship, "Nothing....I think..." Argus decided to ignore it and got into the ship.

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(An Hour Later,Above Lake Roccaluce)

The drop ship finally arrived above the very center of the famous Lake Roccaluce,former home to Daphne The Nymph and somewhere in the middle of the pristine lake a 'back-door' to the hidden Fortress of Light.

The hatch opened up and Argus stood near the edge with Bastil beside him,instructing him on how to open the portal, "....all you have to do is to open up a portal just before you touch the water but you must do this at a high speed so as to open it properly,you can think of any destination but it'll take you to the unused entrance of the fortress,we'll follow in the drop ship,just make sure the portal is big enough." Argus nodded as he prepared to jump,Reina looked worried as the height from here could break every bone in his body if not kill him,the impact from such a height would be fatal,even on water,Reina hoped that he would succeed.

"Well....wish me luck..." Argus took a deep breath as he turned to look at the people that would be participating in this mission,Bastil along with the two Templars who tried to attack him yesterday will be guides when they get to the fortress,Trevor and Sera for their strength and agility and Reina was there for her 'own protection' as well as the magic support,he waved at them before he jumped back,out into the air before plunging down towards the lake below,he twirled his body around so he would be facing the water,he started preparing to open up the portal that would hopefully get them into the hidden realm where the fortress was at. _'I hope I do it right,one slight error and I'm done for' _Argus had finished his spell and clamp his hands together,ready to release it on command.

The people aboard the drop ship looked at the screens which monitored Argus' fast descent, "By my calculations,he should deploy the portal right here for the highest effectiveness." Trevor pointed at a digital marker which to his surprise,Argus passed through, "What did he do that! He'll deploy the portal too late!" Trevor was about to activate the tractor beam he installed earlier but Bastil stopped him, "No,he knows what he's doing,just follow him." Trevor seemed reluctant but obeyed as he brought the ship slowly into a nose-dive.

Argus was struggling to hold in the increasing magical properties of the portal,making sure that it'll be big enough for the drop ship to go through. Soon he was just a dozen feet away from slamming into the water,he started spinning,creating a twirl in the magic energy in his hands,he put all the magical energy into one hand,raised it above his head and slam it onto the area just above the water,creating a portal of light that quickly grew as Argus poured in more energy. "Come on!Come on!Just a bit more.....Got it!" he shouted before letting himself into the portal,followed by the drop ship just before it closed up.

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(Lake Fortress of Light,Outside Meditation Hall)

Dianovas was currently,testing his sword skills,he seemed to be in deep thought as he performed a cross-slash on a nearby stone pillar,making it topple on top of him but he just walked away,dusty but unscathed. He suddenly felt a tremor in the ground,breaking his train of thought. The doors to the Meditation Hall open up as Ronand and Celina walked out,Ronand was holding a device in his hands as he tossed it to Dianovas, "We're going back but I want to test out my Mech-Golem,be sure to bring it back to me when it's finished with that so-called Keeper." Ronand fished out the three Trix Crystals, "I'll be needing these for some experiments,the Golem might lose some power but it should be more than enough to take care of guy." Ronand walked passed Dianovas, "Oh!I almost forgot,just in case my creation fails. Push that button to blow it up and make sure it takes that Keeper with it." Ranand smirked before bringing out a gun-like device,pulling the trigger,a portal opened up and they entered it. "Bye-bye Mr Dianovas...." Celina blew a kiss towards the stoic swordsman who turned away and walked towards the Meditation Hall to inspect the Mech Golem.

(Sealed Gates)

Ever since Dakar's attack on the fortress,the destruction he caused made the fortress gates unsafe as his monstrous creatures still roam the area,even after the Templars tried sending in their own men in to eradicate the beasts,they were always found drained of their life-force,mere shells of their former selves,thus they sealed the gates and destroyed part of the mountains,burying them but the beasts survived and turned the rubble into a series of tunnels.

A Mastiff growled as it consumed the carcass of an animal it had caught,it growled again before taking it's meal away with it into one of the tunnels. A spark of fire crackled before a portal opened up and deposited Argus onto the ground,giving him no time to adjust his bearings as he fell face first into the ground,he coughed out the dirt that somehow got into his mouth and drank some water from a small canteen in his pocket before gargling and spitting out it's contents effectively cleaning out his mouth but his clothes were covered in dirt but a quick-fix spell remedied it.

"Wonder when the others will get here,I made the portal more than big enough....I think..what's that noise ?" he heard the sounds of engines as he realized that the drop ship has arrived but when he turned around to look,it was heading directly for him, "Aaahh!" he screamed just before the ship stopped right in front of his face and Reina jumped out of the opened hatch,running straight for Argus glomping him, "Are you alright,any injuries,do you need any healing salves ?" Argus was embarrassed as Reina cuddled him, "Aww,how cute they look together." Sera cooed as Trevor tumbled out of the aircraft followed by the trio of Templars, "Sorry about almost hitting you with the drop....ship ?-Sorry,I'll leave you two alone for a while...." he said as he jumped to conclusions,making the two teens blush. "It's alright,I'm just glad that you saw me before I got flattened....um Reina,can you please get off me ?" Reina reluctantly did so but Argus saw a Brute Monster about to pounce Reina so he quickly pushed Reina aside and delivered an uppercut punch below it's head before deploying energy claws from his Battle-Armbands,piercing the Brute's head,destroying it as it faded away into nothing.

"Hope you guys are ready for a little tussle ?" Argus retracted the claws and called for a pair longswords,as he spotted several Hell Mastiffs coming out of their hiding places,the others saw this and brought out their weapons,Sera with a pair of energy claws,Trevor with two rifles,and the Templars brought out their lances while Reina took out a bow from the equipment pack,charging an energy arrow. The Mastiff's pounced at the same moment the fighters charged in for close combat with Trevor and Reina providing cover-fire. Argus sliced off the heads of three Mastiffs with the two swords in his hands with a horizontal slash from each blade before tossing a grenade from his pockets,blowing up a small cluster of Spit Monsters before they could spit out their acidic saliva on them,the Templars deployed a tri-horn charge,with their lances poised in front of them with their shields,dwindling the number of monsters down to about twenty of them which were taken out when Trevor threw an experimental grenade but it did nothing so the monsters just stomped on it but the moment it was stepped on...

'BOOM' the grenade blew up,ripping ten of the monsters to pieces,while stunning the others,leaving them wide open for Argus' attack as he once again performed the Fire Arts,sending wave after wave of fire,burning the monsters,just as the monsters were being burned,Argus created a large fireball in his hands before sending it barreling towards the mound of the monsters carcass,blowing it up and taking the piles of rubble with it.

When the dust cleared,the huge gate into the Fortress of Light was shown,slightly dented in various areas but still in good condition, "Well,at least I shorten the time needed to get in....right ?" Bastil nodded in agreement as he and his fellow Templars walked towards three specific sections of the door before sending out a small resonance of chi energy into it,the door soon opened up, "Hurry before it closes!" the group managed to enter it but some one was missing, "Where's Trevor ?" the familiar humming noise of the drop ship above them, "Thanks for opening the gate,the walls seems to have a barrier that stops and shocks anything." Trevor climbed out of the ship,showing them the ashen remains of his rifle. "Umm,Bastil,I thought you said that the place was teeming with the Army of Decay." Trevor dumped the ashes into a small packet as he brought out a standard blaster, "Your right,I guess their at the Meditation Hall..." as he said those words,a large horde of Beast Troopers jumped out from various places, "It's an ambush!Reina,stay close to me!" Argus dismissed his swords and brought out a broadsword,slashing at a Beast Trooper that got too close for comfort,Reina took out an energy saber from the pack.

The group have been fighting for a while already but the Beast Troopers kept coming to fight. Soon they were surrounded,forced to fight for survival,a Beast Trooper tried to pounce Reina but was saved by Argus as he stabbed it,bursting it into hundreds of Larvae that were immediately incinerated by Trevor's Fire Sage magic,the Templars used their chi attacks to clear a path towards a dome like building in the distance, "Come on!The Meditation Hall is this way!" Bastil blasted a wave of chi to keep the Beast Troopers at bay. The group quickly ran towards the far-off structure,closely pursued by the Beast Troopers. "Ahh!" Reina gasped as she tripped on a piece of rubble,falling to the ground,Argus saw this and quickly ran to her side, "Reina,can you stand up ?" Reina tried standing up but fell back down and cried out in pain, "Aaahh!" Argus checked her foot was facing the wrong way, "Your ankle is sprained,we don't have time to heal it,I'll carry you." he sent out a wave of fire to ward off their pursuers a bit as he picked Reina up with her close to his chest to ensure her safety.

Running at a fast pace,he quickly caught up with rest of the group who had secured a line of defense among the rubble. As he got to a safer location,he set Reina down as he started healing Reina's sprained ankle but creating a slight strain on his own ankle, "Argus...are you using your powers to heal me ?" he didn't want to worry her but he has a vow of always telling the truth but it didn't say he had to tell it so he remained silent as he finished healing Reina's wound,he quickly covered his strained ankle with some healing salve, "Alright,now that your healed let's-" a large explosion was heard as the door to the Meditation Hall behind them burst open and off their hinges and bashing the Beast Troopers away before they were incinerated by a large lightning bolt that hit each and every Beast Trooper,destroying them.

Thinking they were saved,the group turned around to see a menacing machine stomping towards them,with it's four arms bang together,making spikes come out. "I don't think that's a friend.." Trevor said before he was suddenly blown away by a shock-wave that was emitted by the Mech Golem stomping it's massive feet,throwing the rest of the group off balance as they were blown away by the sheer force of the shock-wave but Argus summoned a barrier that stopped the shock-wave from reaching them but he kept the barrier active just in case and it was a wise choice as the Mech Golem sent out rapid blasts of energy at the group,freezing their bodies in place but it was better than being turned to stone but the metallic menace wasn't done yet as it launched several pods throughout the area which quickly created a prism-like dome,trapping Argus and Reina in it.

Argus dismissed the barrier,seeing their predicament,he gathered some energy for a teleportation spell and aimed it at Reina, "Argus,what are you-" she disappeared in a bright light and reappeared just outside the dome,she realized what he did and tried to create a spell to get her back inside it to help Argus but he stopped her, "No,I'm going to fight this thing and I don't need to fight while protecting you!" Argus yelled as he tossed two boomerangs at the Mech Golem,only for it to fall harmlessly off the thick plates of metal,it retaliated by launching a blast of paralyzing energy like it had on the others,Argus tried dodging it but his movement had slowed down due to the strain on his ankle so he got struck in the leg which was immediately paralyzed which started to spread to the rest of his body turning it numb,he was rendered helpless as the Mech Golem stomped towards his and delivered a punch with it's two right fists,sending him flying into the prism wall,although his body was numb,the pain was still great but Argus used the Dragon Fire's powers to release his body from the numbness before jumping back into the fight,discarding the broadsword for the uses of the Fire Arts as he sent a barrage of fireballs at the Mech Golem.

While the fight continued,Dianovas was hidden away in the shadows of a pillar,watching the fight with great interest. "His skills seems to have grown a bit." he turned his attention towards Reina who was gathering the paralyzed members of the group towards a safer area than here as the Mech Golem's stomping caused the surrounding structures to fall apart little by little,Dianovas saw a large piece of debris about to fall on Reina but she didn't see it coming so he summoned out his sword and and jumped towards the debris,slashed through it once before using his powers to warp back to the pillar,letting the debris turn to dust without Reina noticing at all, _'Why did I save her,I had nothing to gain from this' _Dianovas shook his head as he dismissed his sword back into it's dimensional pocket. The gem set in the middle of his helmet glowed for a minute as he continued watching the fight.

Argus has stopped using the Fire Arts as it seem to only deal minimal damage against it's seemingly heat resistant armor and the fact that each time he used the Fire Arts drains his energy each time he uses it,he switched to more conventional methods as he used a spell he had learned from Avalon,he focused his magic and held out his hand,a sturdy sword made of metal before he placed his hands upon it reciting the spell Avalon taught him, "Lord of Thunder and Lightning,Voltagor heed my call and help me vanquish this foe!" he gently tapped the sword as it suddenly surge with electricity which surprised Dianovas _' He seems to be different from the other former Keepers,let's see what he can do'_ The Mech Golem started firing off several blasts of paralyzing energy,thinking that it would stop Argus movement. As the energy blasts hit Argus,he stood there as if he was a statue.

As the Mech Golem stomped towards the paralyzed Argus,Reina banged at the prism dome while trying to cast a teleportation spell but her powers weren't strong enough,she continued banging at the prism dome as she cried, "Leave him alone!Argus!!" the four arms of the Mech Golem were raised as it's spikes gleamed in the light,ready to strike down the defenseless Argus until, "Tricked you,bye-bye sucker! 'Lightning Slash!' " he yelled out as he cut off the arms on the Mech Golem's left side when he attacked the exposed joints,with the arm sockets exposed,Argus stabbed his sword into one of them, 'Lightning Surge!' the sword was immediately charged with power as it fried the internal workings of the damaged robot,which will undoubtedly blow up so Argus decided to make a quick getaway but felt the pain in his ankle increase as the Mech Golem had used it's remaining arms to keep Argus captive,waiting for the self-destruct command to be inputed.

Dianovas held the control in his hand,seeing the flashing button for the self-destruct,he fingered the button before pushing it and the resulting explosion occurred as the prism dome kept the destructive force inside,Reina covered her eyes as the bright flash of the explosion blinded her as the prism dome faded away,she quickly ran into the smoke from the explosion tripping a bit as the explosion created a crater,she wandered inside the smoke as it clouded her vision,she suddenly tripped completely over and fell onto something soft but firm,she got up and saw Argus,he was a mess as his clothes were tattered,revealing several gashes he got from the shrapnel that came from the Mech Golem's destruction as well as the scorch marks he got from the explosion,blood streamed out slowly and painfully as he managed a weak smile, "Guess..._'coughs'_....being a hero..._'coughs_ _out blood'_ ....isn't...what it's cut out...to be.....arghh!" Argus said as he winced from the pain he was feeling before falling unconscious,Reina hugged Argus lightly so as not to further harm him.

She then remembered the healing potion Argus gave her,she rummaged through her pouches,finding more items she had no recollection of putting there but she finally found the canteen and popped open the lid before gently lifting Argus head,she tipped the contents of the canteen into Argus' open mouth,hoping that the potion will take effect but after a period of time,Argus was still unconscious as his wounds remained open. Reina was fearing for the worse as her eyes started shedding tears but felt a finger wipe away one of her tears, "Now,now,why are you,a beautiful young woman crying ?" Argus joked as he got into a more comfortable position,Reina tackled him as they tumbled deeper into the crater. When they stopped,Reina was crying in Argus' arms while hitting him with constantly with frail punches. "You are an idiot!!. Why!Why!Why do you have to do such reckless things!" Argus hugged Reina tightly before whispering into her ears, "I do these things to protect everything I hold dear....and for the one I love...." Reina blushed as she buried herself deeper into the warmth of Argus body.

While the young couple embraced each other,Dianovas was tempted to strike both of them down as ordered but something in the deep recesses of his mind held him back and told him to release the Templars from their petrified state which he did so as he mumbled a spell,aiming it's effects at the Meditation Hall,returning the Templars to their normal state before he opened up a portal, "You better be prepared to taste the sting of my blade the next time we meet,young Keeper." he muttered as he entered it.

"Oh my,I think we should leave those two alone for a while,shouldn't we ?" Sera giggled as she put her hands over Trevor's shoulders but due to his reflexes obtained from training,he grapple Sera and tossed her in front of him,but Sera didn't knew that, "Why did you do that for!" Trevor immediately reverted to his shy persona and started backing off, "I..uh...I have an...explanation for that..." he suddenly ran towards the drop ship with Sera following close behind while Bastil and his fellow Templars rejoiced as other Templars exited the Meditation Hall

(Moments Later)  
"Reina.." "Yes ?" "Nothing..."Reina snuggled closer,sleeping while Argus carried her bridal style towards the drop ship with the remaining Templars forming two lines and their lances at the ready,creating a path towards the the waiting ship, "So Bastil...what are you going to do now ?" Bastil smiled as he shook his head, "Don't worry about us,you have helped recover our home which is more than enough,if there's anytime that you are in need of assistance,you'll know who to call,we'll be more than happy to help." Argus nodded as he got aboard the ship and placed Reina gently into the seat next to him, "Alright,ladies and gents,we'll be soon experiencing slight turbulence as we make our way through the Templar's Gate and back to the surface of Lake Rocalucce,man!I always wanted to say that!" Sera said as she piloted the ship upwards while a slightly bruised Trevor sat in the next chair,operating the monitors. "Geez,what happened to you ?" Argus asked as he gave Trevor some healing salve, "Don't want to talk about it...ow!" Trevor flinched as he applied the salve on his cheeks.

Argus sighed as he watched Reina as she slumbered peacefully,he brushed away a strand of stray hair away from her face before kissing her forehead, _'I hope this is the right thing to do....guess my sister will chew me out when she finds out about this....' _he smiled as he drifted off to sleep but he'll wake up to a rude awakening.

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(Meanwhile,Spirit Realm)

The 'knights' have gathered up again as they were discussing miscellaneous subjects about Argus' life nut they all stopped for a reason as Bloom suddenly appeared,the 'knights' knelt down in respect, "Your Highness,what brings you here to this part of the Spiritual Realm ?" Efreet asked as he was wondering why Bloom was here. "I know about your little plan to get Argus together with Reina..." Bloom said in a fake stern tone but the 'knights' didn't know about that.

"Forgive us your Highness,we didn't mean to do this without your knowledge but we needed to do this so that he'll have full and total control over his powers...." Bloom started laughing, "What's wrong your Highness ?" Bloom stopped her laughing but was still giggling a bit as she conjured up a crystal sphere which showed the knights the events that had passed at the Fortress of Light before it disappeared. The knights stood up as they started talking, "I guess our intervention will not be needed then,will it Lord Efreet ?" the female 'knight' who had suggested the plan earlier approached Efreet as he nodded in agreement, "Indeed Lady Undine,I'm just glad that we'll just need to only help the young Keeper as destiny has already preordained for him." The 'knights' all nodded as they later bowed to Bloom, "If you'll allow us,we'll return to our 'posts' " "Alright,but be sure to tell me if you should try anything similar again." "Yes your Highness." the 'knights' opened up their respective portals before entering them,letting Bloom go back to her palace.

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Author's note:I hope that none of you mind that I sped up Argus and Reina's relationship but this is just a first stage relationship as they'll have to face through trials and tribulations of normal life as well as those of the dangerous kind,I'll try to speed up Thomas' stay in the past..er future,no I mean...you get the idea. By the way Game Master Shinryu,since you guessed the last WiVo and since you liked Albel and Nel to be together,the above segment with on Eliccor II is your prize,hoped you enjoyed it.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I had writing it.

Now it's time for this time's WiVo:  
Scenario Vote:  
What is the 'rude awakening' that will come to Argus and in what form will it be in ?  
A.)Rosa 'chewing him out' at Alfea  
B.)Another dangerous mission  
C.)A summons for him to go back home to Eraklions  
I ran out of ideas for D.) so it's empty and if you have an idea,please do tell me about it in your review.  
This is Argus456 signing off.


	21. Chapter 20

Author's note:Nothing much to say now except thank you again to my readers and reviewers who had given my story a chance and as for the beta-reading thing,I think I'll hold back and do things this way for a while,now on with the story.

Disclaimer:I don't own anything in this story that is related in any way to Winx Club,Star Ocean:Till the end of Time and the Gundam series but I do own the Ocs as well as the plot line.

* * *

(70 S.D.,Bachtain University)

The final bell rang and the students packed up their books to go home, "Alright class,remember that next week will be the Christmas Costume Dance,be sure to find a partner and a costume for the occasion.." the some of the girls in the room ran to Thomas' desk but Thomas anticipated this so he brought out a holo-recorder which played back what he had said on his first day here which discouraged the girls. Thomas sighed as he pocketed the device.

While walking down the hall,Thomas was talking with Sophia about the dance,with the whole incident last week already forgotten "....so Tom,have you ever been to a dance before ?" Thomas thought for a moment, "I don't think so,ever since I took over the family business,I never had the time for social events when I studied at school and the rest of my time was used to run the business." Thomas sighed at the pleasure of his youth,wasted on the business world but Sophia decided to remedy this, "How about you go to the dance too. You know,as a chaperon." "Hey!That's not a bad idea!" Thomas and Sophia were startled when Fayt came from behind them wearing a scary-looking mask, "Aaahh!" Thomas yelled as he fell back on the ground,but knocked his head on the wall,slipping into an unconscious state.

"Fayt!Looked what you did to Tom!You big jerk!" Sophia used her school-bag to hit Fayt over his head before trying to get the unconscious Thomas up but her small frame of a body couldn't deal with Thomas' body weight but was helped by Fayt who did it as an apology, "Thanks Fayt." "Yeah....and besides,some of the girls from the senior classes have their eyes on him and if we had left him there...well,let's just say Thomas' partially naive nature put together with the senior girls would result in a seriously huge problem." Sophia tried thinking of what might happen but her 14-year-old mind can't think of anything that might be the problem.

(Later,Nurse's Office)

Thomas slowly opened his eyes to see the familiar ceiling of the school's nurse's office as a nurse in her late thirties giving him a glass of water which he accepted. After finishing the glass,the nurse smiled at him, "Excuse me,but can you tell me where Miss Sophia is at the moment ?" "Let's see,she said that she would be waiting for you to wake up in the cafeteria,would you like me to get her for you ?" Thomas nodded as he rubbed the bump at the back of his head. "Ouch,I better watch myself more carefully or I won't be in shape to catch up with father." he looked out the window to see the snowy landscape outside.

The door opened up again but it wasn't Sophia or Fayt but was a familiar face, "Hey Thomas!Glad to see you again!" Thomas stood up from the bed to greet James Rosen with a warm handshake, "It's good to see that you are well,so how's the restoration of your castle coming ?" James passed a few photos and in them was Rosen Castle completely restored and has a Victorian Garden around it. "It's a wonder what magic can do in such a short time." "Won't people get suspicious ?" James chuckled as he took back the photos, "Well,let's just say that they now have more confidence in the construction industry..." the two friends had a good laugh at a few unknown individual's expense.

After chatting for a while,Sophia entered the room with a small tray of snacks from the cafeteria, "Oh!James,good to see you again." "Don't mind if I do." James tried to take a sandwich but Sophia brought the tray out of James' reaching arms, "No!These are for Tom,not you!" Sophia quickly grabbed one of the sandwiches and stuffed it into Thomas' mouth. "Isn't it good,the lunch-lady let me prepare it with the cafeteria's ingredients." Sophia said as she stuffed more sandwiches into Thomas' mouth just to spite James who was sulking in the corner like a child."Tom,Aren't you compliment how the sandwiches taste ?" unfortunately,she didn't realize that the sandwiches she stuffed Thomas with was choking him until she heard gagging sounds.

"Oh no!" she tried hitting his back to make him cough out the offending lump of food but Thomas grabbed the unfinished glass of water and drank it down in an attempt to drown the food into his stomach. After much coughing and drinking,Thomas started to calm down as the danger of choking had passed, "I'm so sorry Tom,please forgive me...." Sophia was afraid that Thomas might yell at her but he did something that she didn't expect,she felt Thomas' hands caress her cheek as he said in a gentle tone, "Now,a pretty face shouldn't look sad,it should look happy....what would make you happy,anything at all Miss Sophia...just ask...." he whispered the last two words silently which made her blush.

"Well Miss Sophia..?" something inside Sophia clicked as she grabbed Thomas' hands, "Would you really do anything to make me happy ?" Thomas slowly nodded,a bit afraid that he might have to do something outrageous. "Accompany me to the dance next week." "No,I've already explained this on the first day of work...." Sophia was disappointed but decided to ask a different request, "How about helping me shop for my costume for the dance then ?" Thomas nodded as he put on his coat for the cold weather outside. "I guess I'll do some shopping myself then." James clapped his hands and he was gone.

(Shopping Complex)

Thomas and Sophia had returned to the mall where Thomas had first met Jonas Giovanni who gave him the special suit,Thomas was lead straight back to Jonas' store which now seems to have changed as it now sells costumes as well designer clothes and it was a smart business move as the place was filled with shoppers who were from the Bachtain University. "Guess everyone intends to buy their costumes early,don't they ?" Thomas turned around to see Sophia wasn't by his side but in the store looking for a costume. 'Beep' 'Beep' the sounds of his communicator went off so he answered it to see E.C.'s monitor displaying a message: _The data you requested has been found. The list will accompany this message. _The list that Robert gave him scrolled down with a few of the parts listed started flashing, "Hmm,they seem to be nearby,let's try triangulating where they are...." he said as he pushed in the commands and the communicator did the rest but the result was a bit of a shock to Thomas as they were all behind him and they were moving too,he turned around to see James window shopping with another man dressed in a black suit for butlers and he was carrying a number of bags along with a small line of other butlers.

Thomas tapped James on the shoulders, "Oh,...hey Thomas,is Sophia here ?" he asked but Thomas was staring at the unusual accessories that James was wearing which Thomas compared to the images of the Time Watch parts, "James,where did you get those parts !?" James was confused at the question until he noticed that Thomas was pointing at his new accessories, "Oh these ? I bought them from a merchant who was packing up just outside,thought merchants don't exist in this era anymore...hey!Where did he go ?" his butlers pointed towards the escalator where he saw Thomas' coat flow down as he had just left in a hurry.

Rushing past the shoppers who were on the escalator,he mumbled out words of apology to each one he stumbled into, _'At this rate,I'll never catch up with that merchant!...Time for extreme drastic measures!' _he knew he was on the third floor of the complex but he was desperate to get down so he did the first thing that popped into his head. He grabbed the overhanging Christmas decoration and jumped over the low-glass walls,much to the shock of the people who witness his action.

As he fell along,the piece of decoration which was a thick green rope decorated with the traditional ornaments,carried him towards the mall's entrance but he forgot one important detail as he saw that he was heading towards the huge Christmas tree that was situated just in front of the entrance, "Oh dear." he released his grip on the rope,falling faster towards the ground with people screaming as they saw him fall towards the metallic ground,he was thinking what to do until he remembered that his clothes can replicate items so he made something to cushion his fall,letting the internal Replicator do the selection as he tossed a small cushion which grew in size,turning into a large mattress which he bounced onto and off onto the floor which caused him minor aches but he jumped onto his feet despite the pain and ran outside to find...

"Darn!He's gone.....and all that work for nothing...Ouch!" he touched his rear as he had bruised it in the fall, "At least James has a few of the parts that I hope he'll hand over to me." he started the walk back to Jonas' store,he saw the 'mattress' was now used as a play area for kids as an attendant was watching over them,security had quickly covered this event as a stunt from a hired stunt-man. "Ha!Me ? A stunt-man,don't make me laugh." Thomas muttered as he rubbed the sore spots on his body as he took the escalator up.

"Thomas,my friend. What was that all about ?" James asked as he saw Thomas slumped down onto a bench,creating an ice-pack from the Replicator,resting it on his head. "Well,before I tell you...mind if I have those parts your wearing ?" Thomas showed James the list on the communicator, "Oh,if that's the case,here you go...." he took off the numbers of parts which were exactly five which Thomas crossed out as he pocketed them, "6 down,another 24 more parts to find..." Thomas groaned as he pocketed the parts. "Well,let's see where should I start...." Thomas told James of his hopes to go after his father earlier.

Moments later,James patted Thomas back, "It's alright,look at the bright side,you got five new parts. You should be celebrating." Thomas nodded as he discarded the ice-pack into the trash. "Hey Tom!I'm done with my shopping although you didn't help me did you ? Oh!Mr Rosen,what are you doing here." James pointed towards his butlers who were scattered throughout the entire complex,shopping for his things. "I see....come on Tom,at least help me buy the ingredients for tonight's dinner." James stood up from his seat, "If you don't mind,I'll be going now,oh and Thomas my friend,here's an advice for you....you should be more honest with yourself or you'll never achieve anything...." with those words said,James left Thomas with a cryptic advice.

"....More honest with myself ?" Thomas was confused at this but before he could ponder on it,Sophia dragged him towards the escalator but before he stepped onto the electronic stairs,he spotted a costume perfect for a masquerade,he smirked as he used the communicator to send a message over to James for a favor.

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(Present Time,Space,Andrew Heinmann's Location)

After 12 whole hours of non-stop working,Andrew and his men had completed the makeshift craft as well as a funeral procession of 7 men,Andrew himself leading the small funeral procession, "....and may thy souls rest in heaven's abode. May you rest in peace." he then pushed a button,detonating the small explosive inside the 'coffin' setting the bodies in it on fire.

"Come,we have a madman to stop." Andrew got into the barge craft as all the Zakus were inside already,each officer climbed inside their respective machines. Once inside,Andrew took out the remote control he made from dismantling parts from a spare rocket booster,he activated the video monitor as he will be the one operating the 'oar' to see where their destination will be, "Alright,course set....let's go." the activation button was pushed as the booster engines ignited,propelling the 'craft' forward slowly at first but the secondary ignition was switched on as the 'craft' suddenly sped off in a burst of speed towards their destination.

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(Elsewhere,Diplo I)

The Diplo was completely silent as the ship was running on it's own on auto-maintenance but the ship's lights were kept to a minimum since they weren't necessary as the entire crew were inside the Leingod quarters.

Several of them were sleeping,hugging onto Sophia's collection of stuffed toys,some fell asleep due to tiredness while some were drunk as empty bottles of alcohol were clutched in their hands,a few of the crew members who were still sober were having a drinking contest,Steeg,Lieber and Lancar were among them but Lieber was pulled out by his girlfriend,Marietta who scolded him but due to being drunk,he pinned her against the wall before giving her a French kiss which basically resulted in them leaving the room.

"Alright!Whoever gets wasted after even one gulp of my special brew of Klausian Moonshine,loses!" Steeg brought out a bottle of the alcohol, "Got it!" Steeg was tipsy due to the alcohol he consumed earlier but Lancar was still just as sober as the time he started drinking, "Yeah,yeah,just pour me the stupid drink already." after tapping each others glass together,they both drank it,Lancar was beginning to get tipsy, "Ha!I...win......" he slurred as he fell face first onto the table but Lancar smirked as he casually stood up along with the ones who were still awake,took the wasted drunks onto their shoulders and left the room to get them back to their respective quarters.

When the last crew member were sent back to their rooms,leaving only the four females,Maria,Sophia,Mirage and Peppita. "Mirage,should we move the other two back to their quarters ?" Mirage shook her head, "No,Maria will need all of us to help her through these times since Fayt isn't around to help." Lancar nodded as he covered the other three sleeping women with the bed covers while Mirage sat in an armchair,just in case Maria's mood swings set in again.

She looked out through the small windows in the room,admiring the view of space as the stars sparkled she saw the world which Fayt,Cliff and Albel went to for their mission,it reminded her of her own home world,Klaus III. "You better bring Fayt back in one piece you big lug or you'll be answering to me." Mirage chuckled a bit as she relaxed herself before the soft snoring from the other three women coaxed her into slumber.

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(Cloud Tower,Upper Levels)

Fayt managed to land in a secluded spot which was coincidentally next to Griffin's office but they were suddenly apprehended by a group of young men and women dressed in similar blue-patterned uniforms armed to the teeth with various energy weapons, "Identify yourself or we'll be forced to resort to drastic measures." then one female members of the group spoke up, "Uh,Jonz....I don't think that was the proper way to ask them." Jonz,who was the one holding the energy lance,he started arguing with the girl who started the 'conversation' "Come on Liz,I'm the squad captain so what I say goes!" the two started bickering while Fayt handed Faragonda's letter of introduction to Lamina Griffin who had came to see what was going on outside her office, "Stop this nonsense both of you!" Jonz and Liz regained their composure and saluted.

"Forgive them,their still cadets from Red Fountain. Now,if you would please follow me to my office." Fayt nodded as he and his friends followed the woman into one of the towers nearby.

(Later,Griffin's Office)

After finishing the letter,Lamina stood up from her seat with her back turned,Fayt was sitting in a chair,twiddling his thumbs as the gloomy decoration of the room depressed him until a ball of purplish light hovered in front of him,he was curious what the thing was until he heard a haughty but kind female voice speak, "Would you like some tea ?" he rubbed his eyes with his gloved hands before his vision focused in on a little person,a lady dressed in exotic clothing,flying in front of him,offering him tea.

He slowly nodded as the little person flew away with her wings beating quickly,making a low humming sound while sparkles of purple dust was left behind, "Uh...guys,was that a Flau(a little fairy-like creature)?" Izak replied casually as the information he had downloaded from Olsen Wittcomb's computer contained data on almost everything in the Magic Dimension, "That was a mini-fairy or pixie who live in a pixie village that holds the Tree of Life which has healing properties in it's leaves,that particular pixie is Cloud Tower's Codex Keeper,Discorda." Cliff was surprised at Izak's knowledge of this dimension but Fayt guessed that Izak got it from the ex-commodore's computer.

Soon after,Discorda returned with a floating cups of tea which floated over to the four men but Izak refused the tea, "Sorry,I'm a machine." "Alright Discorda,please leave the room. I have private matters to discuss with these people." Discorda huffed as she flew out of the room.

"Alright gentlemen,which one of you possess the dark weapon ?" Albel walked up to her and unsheathed the Crimson Scourge and place it on the desk for the headmistress of Cloud Tower to examine,she place her hands just inches away from the blade before a dim light circled around her hands,after a bit of time, "It appears that the darkness in the blade was born through the slaughter of many dark beings,absorbing the darkness through it's victim's blood but I sense the soul of a noble being,his life-force is similar to your own resides in this blade,would it happen to be a relative of your's ?" Albel's eyes widened in shock, "C-Ca-Can you connect me to that soul so that I may talk to it ?" Lamina arched her eyebrows, "I can but there must be a reason why you wish to connect to this soul." Albel slammed his Cyber-Claw onto the solid stone table which cracked from the impact "I don't care!Just do it!" then the building rumbled, "What was that!An earthquake ?" Fayt took out his Quad Scanner which displayed multiple screens of data. "It doesn't look like it,the ground here is quite stable. If I know any better,I'd say that the school's alive...." both Izak and Lamina replied at the same time and with the same words, "It is." Lamina arched her eyebrows as before sitting down in her chair, "Since you have a better grasp on this information than your companions,please explain."

"Well,I don't have the complete details but the entire structure is basically alive,you can command it to do certain things with the powers of an incantation known only to the faculty and a few others to for example talk to someone else on the other side of the school or trap intruders by having the halls create a dimensional area where a person's senses a dulled and leads towards a trap." Fayt was a bit curious so he asked another question, "Would Cloud Tower respond should I for example,blow a hole through a wall ?" "Yes,just like how Mr Nox cracked the stone table which is a part of the school it-" Albel suddenly pushed Izak out of the way, "Did any of you remembered my request!"

After calming Albel down,Lamina placed Albel's normal hand upon the blade as it lay flat on the table, "Alright,just relax and concentrate on any scenery in your past while I transfer your spirit into the sword but be brief as there is a risk that your spirit might be trapped inside the blade,understand ?" Albel grunted as he sat down in his seat, "Alright,relax....imagine your desired scenery......" Albel suddenly slumped his head,falling asleep.

"Hello ?Anybody here ?" Albel said as he walked around in the familiar rocky paths of Mountains of Barr,every single detail of the area was the same as the last time he was here,including the large dragons that inhabit the rocky area. Albel reached for his sword as a winged dragon swooped down,ready to attack him but he then realized that he had no weapon as he grasped only air where the handle was supposed to be, "No matter,I'll use my....claws ?" he raised his left hand to see not the Cyber-Claw that he received from Olsen but a gloved hand but that wasn't the only change seen as his attire changed from his usual purple outfit to that of an Airyglyph Black Brigade soldier ,except for a few distinct designs as he has less armor as well as no helmet on,he then suddenly remembered that a dragon was going to attack him,so he did the only thing that came to his mind,  
_'Flee!'_

He started running from the winged beast as it flew just behind him,breathing fire just behind him. "Damn it!I need a weapon!" he then saw a shadow above him, "Die!" the dragon was suddenly cut to pieces before a familiar figure from Albel's past greeted him, "..F-Fa-Father ?" the man turned around as he removed his dragon-like helm,revealing a man that looks like an older version of Albel minus the claw-arm and the blond tips on his hair which was smoothed back,a small scar was seen just below the chin area,the man was Albel's late father,Glou Nox,he was wielding the Crimson Scourge which he stabbed into the earth before sitting down on a rock, "Hello son....so,you finally figured it out...." Albel sat next to Glou Nox to talk about certain topics.

"Well son,what do you want to talk to me about ?...Is it about that Nel girl ?" Albel snorted in disgust, "Heh,guess you're still the same,always the loner." Albel smirked as he felt his real hand for the first time in years, "I know and I'm proud of it too!.....father." Glou sheathed the Crimson Scourge into it's scabbard and handed it over to Albel, "Albel my son,you'll need this more than I do,I finally see my son again and that's why I sealed my spirit in it...now that my wish have been fufilled,I no longer need to be here,goodbye,my son..." Glou then started fading away while Albel stretched out his hand,hoping to save his father but all he touched was air as Glou Nox faded away completely.

"Father!" Albel suddenly sprung from his seat,seeing only his comrades and a very tired Griffin as she was sweating profusely from the use of that spell, "Well,I see that your weapon was was restored during your time of being spiritually transferred." Albel looked at the Crimson Scourge which was good as new but there was something different,Albel saw a bunch of runes upon the blade which were an ancient language of Elicoorian Lore,fortunately,Albel was educated in this subject by Count Woltar,his adoptive father and he translated it into these words, "Crimson Pride...." his eyes started tearing up as a single tear dropped onto the blade,he saved his dignity as he promptly sheathed his weapon back into it's scabbard. "...Thank you...for letting me see my father again...." Lamina nodded as she wiped the sweat off her face. "Your welcome young man,now please take this...." she handed a note to Fayt, "It'll keep you out of trouble from any Specialist rookies who are too paranoid for their own good." Fayt nodded as he took the note, "Thank you....alright guys,let's go.."

When Fayt and company were gone in their ship,Discorda entered the room, "Well Griffin,what do you think of them ?" "They seem good enough but appearances can be deceiving,let's see what the future holds for them."

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(Alfea,Argus Dorm Room)

Rosa had entered her brother's room to see if he was there but all she found was an empty room with Argus closet wide open with his clothes lined up but she saw one outfit was missing which was his Specialist uniform, "Darn it,he's gone...let's see how he did it...." she used a spell to show her images of what happened when someone was last here.

When the spell's effect ended,she groaned, "Darn it!I missed out on an adventure!" her frown suddenly turned into a smirk, "Well,I can still join them,now let's see...a long-range teleportation spell goes like this...." she created a small ball of light on her fingertips which she started using to create runes that then started circling around her and Kiko just flew into the room,ending up in the circle with Rosa just before they disappeared in a bright flash of light."

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(Diplo II,Striker's Hangar)

Since his scars had completely healed,with the help of a Physical Enhancer. Jake was checking the Striker's system as he sat in the cockpit of the unit in it's Fighter Mode(a.k.a Jet Fighter mode),he was reading the manual on how to fully control it as he configured the controls for a more efficient control of the unit.

"Alright,power pack's energy distribution balanced at 75 percent,Operating System reconfigured up to 30 percent more efficiency,Auto-Targeting System,accuracy increased...." Jake muttered these words as he typed in various data that were integrated into the Striker's system but he was interrupted when Cecille floated near the open cockpit hatch,the gravity device in the hangar bay still damaged so all Fighter crafts were held onto the ground through a magnetic lock while the Striker was secured in a hangar designed specifically for the prototype craft.

"It's time for your hourly check-up." Jake reluctantly complied with her request as he had agreed that he would have an hourly check-up with Cecille in exchange for allowing him to continue his work,he opened up his shirt so Cecille use the Medic Scanner properly,while the blue light of the device scanned Jake's condition,she admired Jake's slightly muscular chest as she unconsciously her hands touched Jake's chest,making him feel flustered.

"Cecille!What are you doing ?" he yelped as Cecille's free hand wandered around his upper torso but she stopped when Jake called out,she removed her hands from Jake's chest as she blushed, "I'm sorry..." Jake just shrugged it off as he buttoned up his shirt and re-entered the Striker's cockpit to increase it's performance and capabilities. Cecille sighed sadly as she drifted through the hangar towards the exit before the gravity in the hallway set in,as she silently walked towards the Medical Bay,she bumped into Kevin Stromwell who was carrying a file-folder but it fell out from his hands as several freshly printed documents and a holo-disc fell onto the floor but since the gravity there was weak so some of the documents floated off along with the holo-disc.

"I'm so sorry!I'm such a klutz...." Kevin just smiled, "It's okay,just go to your post,I need to hand these reports to the captain." Cecille nodded as she walked in the direction to the Medical Bay while Kevin gathered gathered up each and every piece of documents and reorganized them in their proper order before entering the hangar,seeing that Jake had just completed his adjustments to the Striker.

"Sir,I have a status report from Leingod's team for you." Kevin handed the file folder to Jake. "I see,you may leave now Lieutenant Stromwell." Kevin saluted before making his way for the exit. "Interesting...." he drifted through the weightless room as he read the documents,which uncannily led him into the seat of a chair for engineers and technicians.

As he flipped through the pages while speed-reading through each sentence,a skill he had learned from his cadet years. "Interesting,he's still alive...and he's vouching for the inhabitants of this dimension,but he'll think otherwise when he finds out about the attack on the patrol fleet....let's see what kind of people inhabit this dimension,perhaps there's a way to end this without loss of lives but if another attack starts,a war will be imminent....I really hope that nothing happens again." but he was denied the wish as the ship suddenly shook with a slight tremor,tossing Jake roughly off his as that tremor somehow jolted gravity back online,bringing him down on the floor as another tremor shook the ship.

"Damn that hurt!" he got back up and activated the intercom in his communicator,connecting him to the entire ship, "All hands to their battle-stations!I repeat!All hands to their battle-stations!" an alarm went throughout the Diplo as unknown attackers pelted the small fleet with a constant barrage of energy blasts.

"Status report!" Kevin asked as he tried to remain calm but it was difficult as he saw the Diplo's shield's energy levels go down as the operators tried to maintain order in the fleet as it was bombarded with blasts that was random but orderly at the same time, "Enemy units sighted!Identity of the enemy unconfirmed but they're numbers are estimated to be over 300 units. What should we do sir ?" Kevin stared at the screen which showed various units that look like the three crafts that attacked them earlier but the attacks made by these enemies are still threatening,especially since half the fleet was destroyed earlier,decreasing the firepower of the fleet drastically, "Sir,what are your orders." an officer asked as he quickly inputted commands to keep the shields up. "Send all available pilots in their Raize Fighters(1)!Prepare all gun-ports!Load the Quantum Torpedoes ,charge the Phase Cannons and set them to independent controls!" with Kevin's commanding voice giving out orders,the morale was boosted as everyone started carrying out his orders.

A screen popped up as Jake in his pilot jumpsuit was currently in the cockpit of the Striker, "Lieutenant Stromwell,I'll be taking charge of the Raize Squadrons in the Striker,open the side-hatch in the Striker's hangar. I'll need new equipment if I'm going to win this fight." Kevin saluted as he activated the controls for the Striker's Hangar.

Jake saw the hangar walls open up an equipment pack was deposited into the 'slots' on the Striker's side as the equipment integrated into the fighter's system, "Good,Athena pack equipped. All Squadrons!Launch!" the Striker's rockets ignited as it blasted off along with the Raize Fighters following in a V formation as the other squadrons joined up.

(Meanwhile,Somewhere Nearby)

A lone craft constructed from bones and metal hovered along as it 'spewed' out clumps of metal that turned into a realistic mock-up of Red Fountain's Jet Stormers as each one jetted off to attack the small Federation Fleet.

Inside the large craft,a man dressed in a dark robe,Nostrom the necromancer who provides Lord Kaleb with his undead army but Dianovas' Army of Decay seemed to have rendered them almost obsolete but he was trying to prove otherwise as he was using his dark powers along with one of Ronand's gadgets he 'borrowed' to create the 'Shadow Death' the ship that combines Nostrom's power to create a endless number of undead minions with Ronand's technology to turn these minions into exact replicas of any machine which included Red Fountain's Jet Stormers.

"Go my minions!Destroy these filthy creatures and make Lord Kaleb proud!" Nostrum cackled as his forces flew in to attack the fighters.

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Raize Fighters:A special fighter unit designed for fast and relentless attacks with it's constant barrage from it's Blitz-Cannons(2).  
Blitz-Cannons:A type of weapon designed for rapid firing of 2000 rounds of energy bullets a minute

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(Red Fountain,Aboard the Drop Ship,Outer Walls)(_''...'' _means it's the Fire Knight while _'....'_ means normal thoughts)

Trevor had left the controls of the aircraft to Sera's more than 'capable' hands,he smiled at how Argus and Reina were sleeping,supporting each other's body as they slept. _'How I envy them....' ''I see what you mean.'' _Trevor jumped as he heard the Fire Knight's voice in his head,he quickly ran up to the gun-platform as the windy breeze cooled his skin. "Fire Knight,can you manifest yourself so that we can talk properly.

A moment later,a hazy red mist appeared before taking on a transparent image of the Fire Knight, _''Is this good enough young Pyris ?''_ "Yeah,I think so.....why did you appear now of all times ?" _''I come now because the restoration of your weakened soul is nearly finished.'' _"Really ?I'm free!!" he started dancing a little jig but stopped as he thought about the aftereffects of the Fire Knight leaving his body, "...but what about you ?" the ghost-like image just shrugged his shoulders, _''I really don't know,since the temple is gone,my spiritual powers would probably wander before it becomes feral...'' _Trevor's eyes widened as he heard the Fire Knight's statement, "You mean you'll turn into a Dark Soul ?(1)" the Fire Knight nodded _''Indeed,I'll turn into one if I'm not retrieved by my master where I'll be re-assimilated into him....'' _Trevor slammed his fist onto the rail which buckled, "Are you so sure that you can be so willing to be nothing more than part of another being...."

The phantom image disappeared but the Fire Knight was still there, _''I'm not sure myself.....'' _Trevor sighed as he went back down into the ship as it landed in a hangar, "I can let you stay...if you want...."

As the ship landed,Argus woke up at the same time as Reina as they both yawned before getting up but Argus' cape was wrapped earlier around Reina to keep her warm so it tangled both of them up as they fell onto the floor from the sudden jerk behind them,hitting each other's head together "Ow...that hurt." Argus got up before helping Reina up,she pouted as she rubbed the back of her head, "Sorry about that,care for a kiss to help heal that little bump ?" he teased as Reina puckered her lips but Argus only kissed her cheek which made her blush.

After Argus got off the drop ship,Reina realized that she didn't get the kiss the way she wanted it. "Come back here!" she rushed out,only to have Argus literally sweep her off her feet as he planted a soft and gentle kiss on Reina's lips, making her 'melt like butter in his arms' "Happy now ?" Argus teased as Reina nodded as she got out of his arms,blushing as she walked towards the room's exit until...., "There you are!" Rosa had jumped out of a portal of light before coming out to hug her friend.

"Hi there sis,thought you would've been here a few days ago. Then again I-" he was suddenly punched in the face which made several Specialists in the room gasp as very few people managed to land a hit on him because of his heightened senses. "Oww!That hurt!!" Argus cried out as he rubbed his lower jawline. "Oh dear!Let me fix that...." Reina prepared a minor healing spell which managed to completely heal the bruise, "Thanks....Why you hit me for this time ?" he smirked as he lowered himself to Rosa's height, "I did it because you left me behind!" she moved her hands for a slap to Argus face but it was caught as Argus smirked, "Nice try....but I have my guard up."

Rosa started struggling out of her brother's grips but his hold was tight as Rosa delivered a kick towards Argus groin but... "Your Highness!That is unacceptable behavior for a princess of Eraklions!" Rosa stumbled in her kick as she fell when Argus released her. An elf that had an uncanny resemblance to Palladium in his earlier years at Allfea 2000 years ago,the elf wore an outfit similar to Palladium's own outfit except that it held the crest of the Eraklion Royal Family,signifying that he's a member of the court,which in this case..., "Hello there Oliver,why is father's most trusted adviser here ?" Oliver walked in strides as he seemed to be in his early twenties but as he is of Elven origins,it could be from 30 years old to or even older. "I am here under your father's strict orders to bring you and her Highness back to Eraklion."

The room was silent for a while until Argus started laughing, "Come on,you're kidding.....right ?" Oliver shook his head as he took out a note-pad, "No your Highness,your father has given me the task of bringing you and your sister home,for what reason I don't know. Now please follow me so that I can take you to the royal cruiser,Royal Grace." Oliver saw Reina beside Argus, "Would you happen to be Princess Reina of the Alexandrian Court ?" Reina nodded, "I see,I've been asked by your mother,Queen Brahn to bring you along to Eraklion since Alexandria is occupied trying to hold back a demonic army." Reina gasped as the news of her home being threatened, "Don't worry though,the army is a minor one so Alexandria should be safe but Queen Brahn requested that I take her daughter to Eraklion just in case."

"I see your reasoning,alright but I'll need to get back to Alfea to gather up my belongings. Okay with that ?" Oliver sighed as he rubbed his forehead, "Very well,I get the Royal Grace to take us to Alfea." he walked towards the hangar opening and launched a small fireball into the air before it disappeared,turning into smoke.

A slight humming sound was heard as the smoke was immediately cleared by the turbine engine of a massive craft blew it away,the Lion Heart was a large ship that looked like a Galleon with various hover drives maintaining it's aerial lift,it was pure white with golden decorations as the dominating gold crest of the Royal Family in the very front of the ship. "What a ship!It must have the latest technology from the Tech Realm,Zenith!" Trevor was almost drooling at the number of technical marvels as he observed the Royal Grace as it hovered, "Can I come too!I want to see the inside,pretty please!" Trevor acted like a child as he pleaded Argus to allow him aboard the large craft. Argus seemed to be in deep thought as Oliver sighed as letting more passengers aboard would delay their departure from Magix.

"My answer is no." Trevor was disappointed as he was denied his wishes but Argus started laughing, "I was just kidding,of course you can come along but you have to ask your parents." Argus joked as Oliver coughed a bit to get everyone's attention, "Very well then,if anybody else is coming along,get Saladin's permission before coming aboard." a few Specialists quickly left the room as Oliver took out a communication device to inform Saladin of the situation.

After a while,only Trevor,Sera and Rylon were among the ones allowed to go,Rylon went along so that he could check up on Alfea and the Specialists who were stationed there,a platform of light descended from the Royal Grace towards the hangar opening,getting on the platform,the feet of each passenger was immediately planted firmly as the platform's gravity was increased to ensure that the passengers don't fall off while the platform moved upwards.

While the platform levitated back into the Royal Grace,Trevor marveled at the inside of the cruiser,various engineers riding hover platforms were flying about,maintaining the cruiser's machinery, "The Royal Grace is one of Eraklion's finest cruiser as it maintains a small colony for the engineer's families who work on the cruiser as crew members,the colony also have accommodations for passengers like yourselves as well as an observation deck at the very top if you wish to observe the stars."  
Rosa started laughing a bit along with the rest of the group,even Oliver, "What's so funny ?" Oliver somewhat regained his composure but was stifling his laughter, "I'm sorry your Highness...'laughs' but you sounded like you were about to sell the Royal Grace!" he continued laughing, "Heh,guess you're right but I should have expected that from the son of Professor Palladium." everybody there gasped except for Argus and Rosa who personally knew the elven adviser.

"You mean that this guy is Professor Palladium's kid ?" Trevor asked as he had met the elven teacher on a previous visit a few semesters ago as he delivers the invitations for the annual dance at Alfea. Oliver coughed a bit as he straightened out his waistcoat, "Alright,I know it's a shock that my father is a professor at Alfea but why is that much of a shock. I mean,didn't you think that my father visited his home world on Lordareon(I do not own Blizzard or any of it's products) and didn't socialize or anything did you ?" the Reina accepted the idea but Rosa and Trevor had a hard time grasping at the idea of Cedric Palladium being married as he was quite inept at social meetings,especially with girls,let alone an elven girl but the irrefutable proof was standing and breathing in front of them.

When the platform stopped,they were at the entrance of the colony which looked like a small town as there was also a picturesque landscape with a small mountain at the end with fir trees planted in a decorative fashion,there was even an artificial river flowing beside the small town, "Wow,it's so pretty!" Reina walked towards the trees as she touched them, "They're so life-like,almost real..." A woman who was nearby laughed a bit, "Cause it's real hun,the trees here are the real thing,along with everything else here,I'm Marion by the way." when Marion saw Argus and Rosa standing there she curtsied, "Good day your Highnesses,what can I do to make your stay more comfortable."

"Come on,don't worry about formalities,I'm not that kind of guy and you all know it,right ?" Marion relaxed after Argus' words, "Sure thing your High-er hun,want me to help y'all to the manor ?" Oliver shook his head, "No need,we know the way,carry on with your duties." Marion curtsied again before walking off into the town.

Argus frowned at Oliver, "Oliver,you do know my policy right, 'All people are equal' Which means-" Oliver sighed and nodded, "I know,I know. Which means everyone is to be treated equally,even the royals but it lowers your status in the eyes of Eraklion's noblemen which might start problems when you ascend to the throne,you must be firm and learn how to lead your kingdom with proper command,Feudal Lords like Yoshinoiya might try something again."

"Pfft!That old guy has been a thorn in Eraklion's side for so long,I seriously wonder why Skye and Bloom decided to let him live when he tried so many attempts at his life anyway,let alone letting him drink from the Fountain of Eternal Life(2) ?" Oliver just shrugged his shoulders as he truly had no idea why Argus' ancestors allowed such a thing to be permitted. "I have no understanding why they allowed such an act but perhaps they had a good reason behind this ?" Oliver tried guessing the reason but the group were long gone into the town while Oliver stood there, "Wait for me your Highnesses!!" he ran off while the group walked even farther into the town while the Royal Grace started it's engines for the short ride to Alfea.

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Dark Soul:A spirit that wasn't admitted into the spiritual realm in time,so it becomes a rouge spirit,seeking to harm all in it's path

Fountain of Eternal Life:Like the name suggests,the fountain grants eternal life but not immortality. It is located in a hidden dimension that can be only accessed by powerful magic or enchanted items such as the Codex and the Dragon's Flame. Faragonda,Griffin and Saladin are good examples of the ones who drank from the fountain as they wished to serve and protect the Magic Dimension while Yoshinoiya drank it so that he'll have an opportunity to take over Eraklion but has failed in various campaigns....so far.

On a side note:Bloom and her companions didn't drink from the fountain when they had the chance as they believed that an eternal life in the mortal realm might get as in Stella's term, 'Booorrriiing'

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(Meanwhile,Spirit Realm,Dragon Fire Palace)

Bloom was sitting in her throne with Skye sitting in the throne which Daphne sat in,they were viewing Argus and his group through an orb that had the Observer Window spell casted upon it,the two were pondering on Argus' question.

"Bloom...." Bloom turned her attention to her husband, "Yes Skye ?" "Why did we let Yoshinoya drink from that fountain anyway ?" Bloom seemed uncomfortable but replied honestly, "I actually thought that he'd learned his lesson and mend his ways but I guess he'll never learn." Skye was shocked at Bloom's reason but he sighed he let out a dry chuckle, "I guess at least Yoshinoiya being there every generation keeps each heir on their toes." Bloom let out a breath of relief at her husband's understanding.

"Thanks for understanding Skye." "Yes,thanks for understanding brother-in-law,understand this,that's my throne. So unless you want to sleep in the dragon stables again,get off it now!" Daphne appeared behind Skye as he jumped out of the seat in fright as having a powerful nymph for a sister-in-law gets really scary at certain times and annoying as well as he occasionally finds an excessive amount of fairy dust in his belongings when she gets bored.

"Sorry about that Daphne,I'll visit Brandon and Stella then,want to come along Bloom ?" Bloom quickly agreed as she would usually be Daphne's victim of her pranks when Skye's away, "Sure honey,let me open up a portal." Bloom opened up a portal before pulling Skye along into it.

When the portal closed,Daphne blew a stray strand of her hair away as she was bored at the moment, "Oh well,easy come,easy go. Well hello there,what do I have here ?" she levitated the spell-induced orb into her hands,viewing the events happening in the mortal realm. "Guess I found a way to occupy myself."

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(Aboard Storm Jet 01,En route to Red Fountain)

"Alright,I've set the auto-pilot to Red Fountain,though it'll take a little longer than usual to get there. By the way Izak,can I check on the files you downloaded from the Commodore's computer ?" Izak shrugged as he pulled out a cord and plugged it into Fayt's communicator but the number of data displayed was so overwhelming that the communicator crashed as the numerous screens blipped away before the whole system shut down.

"Izak,I meant one at a time,great,just great,my communicator is busted." Izak just shrugged his shoulders as he recoiled the cord back into his arm, "Sorry about that,maybe I can fix it." he took the damaged device from Fayt's hands, "Sure but I'm not sure how you can fix a communicator that just crashed from a massive-" in a matter of seconds,the communicator was repaired "Here you go,fix and upgraded with my spare parts." the device looked the same but a few extra attachments made it seem more advanced and Fayt decided to test it out.

"Wow!It's been seriously upgraded!I wonder if I can contact Maria ?" Fayt was anxious to check up on his wife,he felt a hand clasp onto his shoulder, "You might be able to but I don't think that telling her that the mission was a whole waste of time is a good idea,it could give her more stress considering her pregnancy." Cliff declared as he sipped a cup of coffee while Albel grunted as he also agreed to Cliff's statement.

"Besides,Jake would chew your head off if he caught you calling your wife while on a mission,even if it was a bust." Fayt chuckled at this as he knew Jake would be mad when he finds out that the purpose of their mission has been botched as the truth was revealed but only partially.

"Woah!Check that ship out!" Izak was at the front of their ship,observing a massive aircraft that looked like a huge Galleon fly at a steady pace towards Alfea,the others also went towards the cockpit area to see the magnificent 'Galleon' flying as it's engines seems to leave behind a trail of golden dust that resembles the waves at sea,creating an illusion that the cruiser was actually at sea. Cliff let out a long whistling sound as he gazed at the 'Galleon', "Man,that thing is as big as the Diplo but it looks more like a cruise liner than a battle ship." Albel nodded, "Indeed,but looks can be deceiving,just like you maggots."

The three then started arguing again while Izak seemed to be transfixed upon the cruiser,he was actually scanning it as he stored every bit of data into his hard-drive as he continued scanning but even though he was doing this,he has no realization that he was doing this at all.

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(Earth,Lower Tier,Slum District)

In the Aftermath of the Executioner's attacks,nearly half the Earth's population was wiped out and the survivors had rebuilt most of what was lost but not all was restored as the Lower Tier which held the Earth's flora and fauna as a campaign to maintain the world's culture and heritage but it was lost in the inferno that was the Executioners. Although President Charles had initiated a campaign to restore the Lower Tiers,most of it was too dangerous as criminal activities thrived there,scaring off the workers while the construction-droids were destroyed by the local gangs who had connections with weapon dealers.

As per his orders by General Wilde,Elliot Greves,a member of the Federation's undercover operatives was currently disguised in a shabby overcoat with wide lapels hiding his face as well as a dirty brown felt hat which hid then smooth brown hair as well as his third eye,he walked along the filthy streets filled with drunks and druggies as several buildings that used to house stores now housed homeless people and a few served as hideouts for gangs,Elliot was quite experienced in these kind of environments so he kept a close eye on everyone in his path until he stopped at a nearby opening to an alleyway which he quietly slipped into it.

Upon entering it,several eyes of unsavory characters laid upon him as he continued walking until the 'unsavory characters' got up from their places and drew out small knives and metal rods as they surrounded Elliot, "Give us yer money and we'll leaves ya alone." Elliot replied in a gruff voice so as to hide his identity, "I have nothing on me so bug off!" this only made the gang members more aggressive as they moved in closer on Elliot.

"Bad choice of words guv'ner. Move in boys." the gang members leaped in for the kill but Elliot just ducked out of the way and took off his disguise in one fluent motion revealing a completely black uniform of the undercover unit as he pulled out two phase guns and started shooting and with incredible accuracy as well,thanks to his third Tetrageniot eye as he fired round after round of laser bullets.

When the firing stopped,each and every gang member were on the ground but not dead as they were all shot in the limbs,crippling them,Elliot grabbed his coat and hat and ran off so as to avoid further attention by anyone else.

After running for a few minutes,he already had his disguise back on and his phase guns back in it's holsters. "That was close,at least I got a bit of practice in my marksmanship." Elliot spoke in a British tone as he wiped the sweat from his face with his coat sleeve. Elliot walked towards a thick steels door and knocked on it three times before tapping on it softly,making sure that there was a one-second interval in each knock before whispering the password, "I spy with my little eye." a reply was heard, "A black shield,welcome back Mr. Greves." the door instantly opened and Elliot entered the door before it shut tight.

Elliot passed through a series of halls as only dim lights provided by faltering light-bulbs lit the way,after walking for a while,Elliot ended up in a high-tech room filled with various computers and other devices as a number of people in lab coats operated the terminals,one of them walked up to Elliot,he was rather young,15 or 17 by the looks of it,his face was riddled with traces of acne,common traits in teenagers as their hormones developed,he wore a pair of laser lenses as he asked Elliot in a slightly deep voice, "Well Mr Elliot,what would you have my team and I do today for you this fine day."

"Alright Ron,let's deal away with the chit-chat and get straight to the point,I want you and your team to find out everything about Brigadier General Schilling and his activities from his first day in the military academy up to now." Ron then started laughing, "Please don't joke with me,that man died years ago." he was suddenly slipped a holo-recorder,showing Ron the conversation General Wilde and President Charles had.

When the recording ended,Ron had a serious look on his face, "I see the seriousness in their voices. Very well,my team and I will do as you request but under a certain fee of course." Ron rubbed two of his fingers together,indicating that the payment needs to be in cash. Elliot promptly pulled out a wad of bills and handed it to Ron who pocketed it, "There's more than the usual amount,the extra is for a cross-reference of Schilling's data with the Cain family,understood ?" Ron nodded as he gestured for Elliot to take a seat, "It appears that your little encounter with the local ruffians caused a small gathering,might I suggest that you stay here for the time being ? I'll prepare something for you if you like." Elliot sat down in the offered seat, "Thanks,I appreciate it,but I'll take a rain's check on the hospitality." As if by coincidence,it started raining outside as the rain pelted the metallic outside walls,making distinct ringing noise, "Then again,a cup of coffee would be nice." Ron chuckled as he clapped his hands before a coffee machine started up, "Please wait while your coffee's prepared,I'll be getting to work now."

Ron went back to his terminal as he typed in various commands before all the terminals of the rooms lit up as a whole computer system started it's task of gathering it's requested data. After self-serving himself some coffee,Elliot sipped from his cup as he watched Ron and his team work.

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(Space Battle,Striker's Location)

"Raize Squadron Leaders!Status Report!" Jake shouted as he maneuvered the Striker away from the enemy fighters as a barrage of laser fire almost hit him.

"Blue Leader here!Half my squadron's been shot down but we're holding out well enough."

"Good but I recommend that your squadron go to the Diplo to resupply,it has more than enough fighters to reinforce your numbers." the Striker evaded another laser barrage as it countered it by launching a large 'pole' which emitted a beam blade which cut through one of the enemy fighters before the the thick energy-cord attached to it's end pulled it out before the fighter blew up.

"Yes sir,Blue Leader out!"

"Red Leader here!My team has finished the enemy in our area and are going back to the Helios to resupply."

"Roger that Red Leader,be sure to avoid enemy fire."

"Copy that sir,Red Leader out."

While the two squadrons left the battle,the Striker covered their retreat as more and more enemy fighters entered the battlefield of space,launching attacks on the lone Striker as it's pilot received a distress signal.

"Mayday!Mayday!This is Yellow Leader!Our squadron have been cut down to a quarter of our forces,we are under heavy fire and request assistance!I repeat!This is Yellow Leader and under heavy fire!" the Squadron Leader's voice was frantic which convinced Jake to go to the distressed squadron's location but he had to deal with the enemy fighters in front of him first.

"No choice,Striker Master Code released,activating Mode Blue,Athena. Engage!" Jake pushed a lever that just came out of a hidden compartment before several lights of blue energy trailed around the Striker before it's transformation began.

(Meanwhile Diplo II,Bridge)

"A squadron of Raize are requesting permission to resupply in the Diplo,shall I clear them in ?" Kevin responded quickly, "Alright,grant them clearance and call all available pilots to be on standby in case they need more fighters in their squadron." "Yes sir,Blue Leader,you are cleared for docking."

"Thanks,we'll also need cover fire if you don't mind." an explosion was sounded as one of the fighters had it's left booster blown up. "Seriously,we need it...now! Another blast hit one of fighters but it's shields held back the damage but it was obvious that the shield won't last much longer as a laser barrage broke through it and cracked the cockpit open but the pilot was safe as he had his space-suit on.

"Alright!Blue Leader,speed up your docking procedure as fast as possible,the Diplo will provide cover fire with the port side Phase Cannons." the command was inputted into the ships system as the Phase Cannons started firing so as to disperse the clusters of enemy fighters,providing more time for the Federation fighters to get into the Diplo.

Soon,the last Raize Fighter was secured in the Diplo's vast hangar as each fighter was immediately attended to by engineers and technicians as well as repair-droids that quickly patched up the damages while injured and fatigued pilots were handled by the medics,Cecille was among them as she tended to a pilot who just had his shoulders burned when his fighter was shot near the cockpit, "Arghh!It burns!" Cecille applied a liquid paste to the burnt skin as it soothe the heat,acting as a pain killer.

"Let me go back to my fighter!I need to fight!" the pilot tried getting up but Cecille held him down, "You are in no condition to go back out there understand!" the sternness in her voice convinced the pilot to stay down as a bright flash of blue light engulfed the voids of space,every one besides the droids stopped what they were doing to see the phenomenon.

(Bridge)  
"What in the.....?" Kevin uttered as he and the officers watched the transformation of the Striker continued,a message from the Striker just reached him as a recorded message was played out, "Lieutenant Stromwell!Provide cover fire for me while the Striker initiates it's transformation!"

"All gun-port batteries full power and give a cover fire barrage for the Striker,now!" the command was given as the officers quickly inputted the coordinates but one of them miscalculate as the frontal gun-ports and phase cannons fired a barrage which covered the Striker in a myriad of explosions, "Oh no!Did we hit him ?"

A static-filled screen opened up in front of the bridge crew and a voice filled up the speakers throughout the fleet, "Don't worry Lieutenant Stromwell,I'm fine and Ensign Sanders,please reschedule our next check-up."

(Space)

As the fake Jet-Stormers clustered together for another attack run on the Diplo II and the ships accompanying it. The smoke that surrounded the remnants of the destroyed Jet-Stormers,a laser beam cut through the thick smoke which also went through a number of the fighters.

The smoke finally diminished as the Striker emerged,wielding a lance with a laser beam as the point along with a large circular shield,the Striker's appearance has changed again,it's design was similar to Ares but it was now blue in color and it's head had a thicker plate of armor on it,a helmet to be precise as the helmet was similar to the ones worn by Greek warriors in the past. As the shoulder guards were thicker,so it was good for charges.

"Striker Athena!Ready for battle!" the Striker twirled it's Beam-lance as it easily cut through the enemy fighters,destroying them in bunches as the consecutive explosions destroyed other enemy crafts that were in the vicinity. "All available Raize Squadrons!Go into an Arrowhead Formation and assist Yellow Leader!"

"This is Red Leader,we copy that and are on our way." the Red Squadron sped off in the direction where the Yellow Squadron was suppose to be at.

"This is Blue Leader and we're ready to go. What are your orders sir ?" the Blue Squadron stopped just behind the Striker as the enemy forces gathered in front of them.

"My orders....Divide and Conquer!" the Striker raised it's Beam-lance above his head before it charged headlong into the enemy ranks as it swung it's weapon quickly as it cut through the enemy like a 'hot knife through butter' as a large chunk of the enemy's numbers was blown to kingdom kong.

Nostrom was displeased with the sudden outcome of battle as his minions were destroyed instantly in such a short period of time, "Damn that that little worm!I'll show him what happens when you defy me!Nostrom the Necromancer!" with a wave of his hands,the remaining fighters that were fighting the Striker suddenly retreated and surrounded the Shadow Death before they 'merged' together to create a monstrous creature that resembled the skeleton of a huge tyrannosaurus-rex with the skeleton being made from a sickening combination of metal,bones and rotting flesh as dead blood veins pumped dark energy throughout the massive being as the blood-red eyes of the beast flashed,one was a real eye which was rotting but functional while the other was artificial as it locked it's sights on the Striker,it roared as metallic claws sprouted from it's malformed limbs.

Nostrom was standing upon a platform made from bones which had a barrier protecting him as he wielded his staff which glowed as he controlled the monstrous being, "Go!Go and destroy that upstart my Shadow Saurus!" he cackled as the Shadow Saurus sprouted decayed and metal wings before going after the Striker.

"Damn!What is that thing ? It's triple the Striker's size,I'll need some better equipment than this one." Jake quickly opened up a channel to the Diplo II

(Diplo II,Bridge)

The entire fleet was stunned at the monstrosity that is the Shadow Saurus the crew members of the Dilpo II wasn't spared the fear as live video feeds were being shown throughout the ship.

Kevin slumped into his seat as he believed that their end was near until a screen showing Jake's face opened up, "Lieutenant Stromwell!Set the Striker's Apollo up in the launcher,you'll be sending it to me for a quick equipment change!" Kevin saluted the image as he quickly prepare one of the Striker's equipment pack for launch.

(Striker's Hangar)

The side panel opened up as a large cannon along with various other weapons were loaded onto the launching catapult which was given clearance as it quickly jettisoned the pack into space and hopefully to it's intended target destination

(Space)

The Striker was barely holding out against the humongous Shadow Saurus as the Beam-Lance was tossed towards the monster but it barely scratched the surface as the laser tip only caused a tiny hole before it was pulled out by the energy cord and back into the Striker's open hands as it put up it's shield which managed to hold back the claw attack by the Shadow Saurus as the shield emitted an electro magnetic shield that held back the brunt of the attack but was still pushed back as the Striker was sent flying back a 500 feet before it's thrusters re-adjust itself in an upright position.

"Damn!That thing's tough!" Jake cursed as he pounded at the armrest of his seat.

"Don't forget about us sir!" the Blue Squadron flew in as their Blitz-Cannons fire off and fired off their missiles before breaking off to regroup for another attack run just in case the massive being survived that barrage which it did as a a storm of metal and bone spikes rained upon the Blue Squadron as they quickly took evasive actions but 15 out of 50 Raize Fighters were destroyed in the initial attack and more continue to fall prey to this attack,the spikes that missed the Squadron hit the shields of the Fleet's ships while a few penetrated a weak point of the ships and either caused a huge dent or caused a lodged themselves into a ship's hull while also damaging the weapons system of each ship,rendering them almost useless.

(Diplo II)

"Sir!A distress signal from the Helios,shall I connect them through ?" "Put them through." a series of bleeps before a screen opened up on his monitor,the image of the Helios captain was shown on the screen.

"What's wrong captain ?" Sounds of fighting was evident as there were gunfire somewhere in the Helios. "We have a situation here,the spikes that are lodged inside the hull are spawning creatures that are advancing through the ship,our soldiers are holding them back but I don't know how long they can last." an explosion was heard as the dying screams of men was also heard.

"I suggest that you and the surviving crew members get into the escape pods and set your course to the other ships in the rear of the fleet,I'll contact the other ships to prepare for your arrival." the Helios captain saluted before the connection was cut.

Soon,several small shuttles and pods were deployed from the Helios as they quickly went towards the rearward ships of the fleet for cover and just in time too as the Helios suddenly exploded and the still activated shields of the ship held in most of the explosion.

(Space)

"We'll lose half the fleet if this keeps up,where the hell is that pack ?" Jake searched for the Apollo pack with the Striker's radars while also evading the Shadow Saurus' attacks while the Blue Squadron gave him backup. A small energy reading was found on the radar as the Apollo pack was speeding towards the Striker.

"Good,it's coming but I'll need cover fire while I change equipment,Blue Squadron,can you handle it ?" he knew that the chances of the Blue Squadron's success in this task will be considerably low since they have only 20 fighters left from the Shadow Saurus' last attack.

"This is Red Leader with Yellow Squadron,care for some help ?" the two squadrons flew up behind the Shadow Saurus while firing a full barrage on it before joining up with the Blue Squadron.

"Good to have you with us,now on my mark.....Strike!" all the fighters moved in on the Shadow Saurus while the Striker retreated to get the pack.

As the Striker got nearer to the pack,Jake attached the shield and the removed-helmet to the Beam-Lance and unequipped them as the pulley device for the lance was detached from the fore-arm,the blue color on the armor faded away back into space-black,back to it's standard form as the Striker released it's grip on the Athena pack as it increased it's speed towards the drifting pack in front of him.

"Auto-assimilation of the Apollo equipment pack ready,connection to the Apollo system initiating now!" The Striker suddenly stopped as a few of it's parts opened up and detached themselves which included the arms and the back as the pack broke up as each part went towards it's designated location. Soon,each part was assimilated into the Striker which now had an impressive arsenal of firearms with a massive cannon at the back as the main weapon with several secondary weapons like a small missile launcher mounted on the shoulder and side cannons among several others.

"Apollo pack equipped,system connection complete,Striker-Apollo ready for battle!" the armor instantly lit up as the color of the sun lit up the armor with bronze at the edges,giving the Striker the look of it's namesake,the Sun God,Apollo.

While the transformation awed the the crew members of the fleet,the Raize Fighters had to withdraw due to the depletion of their ammunition and that their weapons had barely any effect on it.

"We're going back to resupply,you're on your own sir." the battered Raize Fighters went back to the safety of the fleet to resupply and to upgrade their arsenal.

"Understood." The Striker spread out it's limbs as eight funnel like devices detached themselves from the main body before it lit up in sequences, "Laser Funnels released." the funnels then acted on the artificial intelligence began firing on the Shadow Saurus with powerful blasts of laser beams which had more effect than the Blitz Cannons of the Raize Fighters. The Striker took hold of the laser rifles attached to it's legs before activating it's rockets,going in guns a blazing.

Nostrom saw the scene unfold before him, "Hmph!That little insects thinks he can take on my creation that easily!Destroy him my minion!Destroy that worm!" the Shadow Saurus roared as it unleashed a barrage of spikes which were all aimed at the Striker.

"Firing Ion Cannon." Jake put the two rifles together as they fired off a huge laser blast that consumed the spikes before the beam of energy made contact with the Shadow Saurus,it roared in pain as the attack inflicted serious damage on it's body as a gaping hole in it's side was suddenly healed.

"Hmm,it can repair itself. I must use a barrage attack." Jake started inputting commands into the Striker's system. The Laser Funnels circled around the Striker while the rest of the Apollo pack's weapons started charging up their power levels while the funnels protected it.

Contacting his fleet,he gave them all an order, "All fleet captains!Charge your Creation Cannons(1) to it's absolute limit and fire upon my mark!"

All support fire from the ships stopped while the ones that lost their capability to fight move back to the rear of the fleet as each ship opened up a specific part of their hull to prepare their creation cannons for firing.

While the Laser Funnels were deployed to distract the massive creature letting the Striker charged it's weapons,the Shadow Saurus was unaffected by the attacks but the distraction caused by the funnels was plenty enough as the energy levels in the Apollo's weapon system rose higher and higher.

(Diplo II)

"Sir!Our Creation Engine can't handle the stress,it's already accumulating energy that are beyond the limits!We have to fire now!" Kevin was stressed as the destruction of the Diplo II might be tainted on his hands but he believed that Jake had everything under control as he slammed his hands onto the armrest of his seat,almost hitting the monitor controls but it remained intact.

"These were the commander's orders!Just bypass the extra energy into the Time Displacement Shields(2) to hold the energy stable,that should hold until we are to fire." the officer was uncertain of his commanding officer's reasoning, "But sir!" Kevin just stared down the officer, "Is that understood....." the officer finally gave in as he quickly did as he was told. "It worked!The Creation Engine has stabilized!" a smile crept onto Kevin's face, "Good,contact the other ships and tell them to do the same."

Kevin watched in anticipation for the order to fire cause the chair's personal monitor said that his solution would only hold for 15 to 20 minutes before the Displacement Shields overload and the creation energy's radiation would probably kill the crew before imploding in on itself. _'I truly hope that you know what your doing commander' _

(Striker)

Jake saw that the Laser Funnels had to return to cool their generators so he quickly turned the wide-range speakers back on, "All fleet ships!Prepare to fire your Creation Cannons in!Fire!!!"

In a magnificent display of power,the ships each unleashed a powerful beam of Creation Energy that all merged together into massive ball of pure energy that went barreling towards the Shadow Saurus which tried holding the ball of energy back with it's two arms and it seemed it would succeed.

"Damn!That thing's managing to hold that much power back!I could use the Apollo Solar-Ray Cannon to weaken it's arms but I'll need the power to for a full barrage....." Jake was in a dilemma but he was saved from choosing as the Raize Squadrons came back to reinforce the Striker.

"This is the Raize Fighter Leaders,Red,Blue and Yellow,ready for action!Squadrons,Delta Formation!"the three squadrons split off in three different directions which confused the Shadow Saurus which was still holding back the waning ball of energy.

"Go for the limbs first,that sphere of Creation Energy can't be wasted." Jake was sweating a lot despite the cockpit's cooling system,he was nervous as his plan might fail.

"Roger that sir. You heard him boys!Go for the arms!" with their new Spit-Fire Cannons(3),attacking the Shadow Saurus was relatively easier,albeit still difficult. As they fired off a volley of cannon fire at the arms,the Shadow Saurus seemed to weaken in that area as the Creation Energy collided in the Shadow Saurus,making it roar in pain as the blast severely damaged it's outer metallic shell,leaving only bones and decaying organs which slowly started regenerating it's metal shell but Jake wasn't about to let this chance slip away.

"Oh no you don't!" Jake then pushed the commands for all the weapons as several hidden firearms started firing,laser canons were blazing,two portable Howitzers equipped on the torso fired off huge bursts of laser fire while missiles were constantly launched from various areas of the Striker,a Gatling gun fired hundreds of laser bullets before it all ended with the Striker hefting the large cannon on it's back between it's right arm and torso,quickly charging the cannon to maximum output.

"Firing Apollo Solar-Ray Cannon." a small spark of energy crackled before the gun barrel released a huge burst of orange solar energy with crimson red energy weaving around it before it hit the still regenerating Shadow Saurus as it gave out a final roar before it started breaking up into tiny little bits.

Nostrom was fuming mad as he was seemingly jumping in anger which gave a new meaning to the term 'hopping mad', "Rrahhhh!That little insect actually destroyed my creation!" he then noticed the remnants of his creation was flying at him at high speeds as well as the shock-wave from the explosion was close behind and a rippling portal opened up,showing the shadowed face of Lord Kaleb,his eyes showing blood red irises, "Where are you Nostrom."

The Necromancer tried to make up an excuse but the situation he was in prevented him from thinking up an excuse, "My Lord,I...er am...." "Enough!Ronand told me that one of his creations that was supposed to be presented to me has gone missing...and it seems he has evidence to prove who the culprit is....come back to the citadel. Now!" Nostrom had no choice so he just slumped his shoulders before he place his staff in front of him,widening the portal in front of him before entering it just as the shock-wave from the explosion destroyed the skeletal platform.

While the unknown enemy mastermind disappeared,Jake slumped back into his seat as the Raize Fighters towed the Striker back to the Diplo II since all the Striker's power was used up in that last attack, "Mission.....Accomplished...now...to get some...rest....." Jake removed his helmet,revealing a tired looking man with bags under his eyes as his sweat soaked bangs clung to his face as he started sleeping but he was deprived of this sleep when the Striker's cockpit opened up and Cecille came inside before jumping onto him,disturbing his sleep in the process, "Get off me Cecille!I want to sleep!" Cecille unfortunately knocked into the button which closed the hatch to the cockpit. "Kyaa!" Cecille's screamed as Jake bumped into the shut down button,plunging the confined cockpit into pitch black darkness with nothing to light the place.

"Just great,I'm tired,I'm sweaty and I'm stuck in the dark with a girl in a small cockpit." Cecille just whimpered as she was coincidentally claustrophobic as she clung onto the closest thing which was Jake,feeling sorry for the young cadet,Jake just hugged her as she whimpered as it was his turn to comfort her, "It's alright,I'm here,don't be afraid. I'll keep you safe from anything that'll try to hurt you,want to listen to a song ?" Cecille muttered a yes through her whimpering,Jake cleared his throat as he started humming before he began to sing a song he learned during his days of youth,the days before the traumatic event that took his family away from him.

_Shimmering so bright,  
Guiding Light,Divine  
Flow along the sea,  
__of fading stardust._

_Reminisce the touch,  
of all the hands use to clutch,  
We'll be long lost in the past  
left to emancipate._

Jake suddenly stopped singing, "I'm having trouble remembering the rest....hehe." Cecille knew the lyrics to the song so she started singing herself,accidentally pressing the wide-range speakers which had it's own power source,letting the entire crew of the Diplo II listen in on the song while the two occupants of the Striker's cockpit remain oblivious,

_We pray among the clouds,  
in the pitch-blackness of night._

Jake then remembered the lyrics and began to sing with Cecille,

_Our voices ascend to the stars.  
There's will to overcome,  
though we stumble and frown._

_In this serenity.....  
Eternity....._

Everyone aboard the ship was awed at the beautiful singing voices of the unknown duo but Zeke knew who it was as he recorded the song, "This is going to be juicy blackmail material." he snickered as he rubbed his hands together but all the same,he enjoyed the song as it touched his heart so he just sat there,enjoying it.

_We ask the starry sky,  
the reason to keep our cruise,  
while we suffer and struggle till' the end._

_Though darkness may prevail,  
alighted shall prevail,_

_In this serenity.......  
Eternally........._

With that,the song ended and the two were sound asleep,leaving various crew members curious of who the singers were,even Kevin sat in the captain's chair,replaying the song as the ship had recorded it into it's data bank but he couldn't for the life of him figure it out,almost causing him to tear out his own hair but the recorded song calmed his nerves as he sat there,enjoying the sweet song as it lulled him to sleep.

* * *

Creation Cannon:The most destructive weapon that a Battle-class cruiser can carry,despite it's destructive powers,it is to be used in emergencies as the Creation energy it is comprised of is very unstable if not contained properly and the radiation that it produces is toxic and can cause unknown mutation or kill depending on a person's genetic structure

Time Displacement Shields:The technology is made for various uses but it is crucial in a ship's operation as it controls and fluctuates distorting energy created by the Creation Engine as Creation Energy has been known to cause various mutations as well as other unknown factors.

Spit-Fire Cannons:A variant of the Blitz-Cannon design as the Spit-Fire model has more firepower as it can fire 3500 shots of phaser bullets which are more damaging than laser attacks and under 1 minute

Author's note:So what do you think of this chapter,it's my first time using a song. So be honest in your reviews.

WiVo:  
Today's vote will be different as the selection is up to the readers as this one is about which song I'll be using for the Christmas Costume Dance for Thomas' part.  
I have a particular liking to the Phantom of the Opera's 'Masquerade' song but if you guys have a song that will be more suitable for the occasion,just tell me the name of the song and I'll see what I can do.

This is Argus456,signing off. p.s:Can you figure what the name of the song I used is called. ^v^


	22. Chapter 21

Author's note:I hope you enjoyed the last chapter as much as I've had cause this chapter should be just as good,I think. I guess I have nothing to say except, 'On with the story!'  
p.s:I just noticed that the name of Ronand's assistant,Celina is actually the name Cedric Palladium's own wife Selina with a C so Please bare with me as I change the name of Cedric's wife to Marila. Thanks

Disclaimer:I don't own anything that's related in any way to Winx Club,Star Ocean:Till the End of Time and any other miscellaneous details like Mobile Suits from the Gundam Series and Dragon Booster but I do own the plotline and the Ocs  


* * *

(The Royal Grace,Manor Gardens)

The manor that the group was staying at was like a miniature version of Eraklion's palace,with a small private garden at the rear with a fountain constantly releasing an unending flow of water as Argus and Reina were taking a stroll in the peaceful garden,hand in hand,unaware that Rosa was nearby,hidden by an invisibility spell she learned so that she could pull pranks unseen but it's purpose was change as she wanted to confirm whether Argus has true feelings for her best friend or not.

"You know what Argus ?" Reina leaned into Argus' arms as they continued walking, "What ?" Reina was hesitant to talk at first but a gentle nudge from Argus assured her, "Well...Are you sure that...our relationship is right ?" Argus stopped in his tracks,uttered a chuckle as he squeezed Reina's shoulders as he wrapped an arm around her, "What's wrong about our relationship ?,we love each other,we'll be each other's pillar of strength,I'll support you as you'll support me...." he twirled her around like a dancer before catching her in his arms which made her 'squeak' as she blushed before Argus straightened her back up again.

Reina blushed as she turned away, "...but...what about our royal duties...our parents,what would they think of us..." she started trembling as her doubts started rising,she felt Argus' hands on her shoulders,she blushed even brighter, "..but I'm...eng-" before she could say it,Argus hushed her with his finger, "Don't worry,even if they don't understand,we can still elope...." this made Reina happier but the doubt still had a hold on her, "....but..."

"No buts.....If it makes you feel any better,how about I sing you a song that was taught to everyone on Eraklion so they can sing it it to their beloved but there's also a special version,which each heir sing to their true and only love...." he cleared his throat as his hands moved,creating a rune that started emitting music that was pleasant to the ears and the eyes as the rune created multicolored music notes that danced in the air,

_Here you are,  
Daylight's star,  
Made out of miracles._

Argus lifted Reina's head up with his hand as he gazed at her facial features,smiling gently as the song soothe their souls,even Rosa was affected by the intoxicating music as she swayed her body to the music but she remembered that she was suppose to be hiding so she stopped but she still enjoyed the musical notes that danced about,

_Perfection,  
Of your own,  
You alone,  
O so incredible_

The musical notes circled around Reina,hiding Argus from her view but she still heard his voice as he sang,

_Each atom,  
Sings to me!  
'Set me free!'  
'From chains of the physical!'_

_'Oooo free me,O free me!'_

The veil of music notes dispersed,creating a slight breeze,rustling her hair as she saw Argus directly in front of her but they seemed to be separated by a glass-like force-field which worried Reina but Argus just smiled as he continued singing,

_The mirror melts  
I'm somewhere else  
Inside eternity_

_Where you on,  
Outstretched wings,  
Sing within,  
The Garden of Everything......_

Like the lyrics said,the force-field melted and to her shock,so did Argus but his voice was just above her as she turned her sights upward to see Argus,sitting in one of the trees which was near Rosa's hiding spot but the invisibility spell kept her hidden,the music notes gathered below Reina's feet,before lifting her towards his location but he disappeared again in a bright flash of fiery light but his voice still lingered as the song continued,

_Where memories,  
Call to me....  
Backward dreams ?  
Or phantom reality ?_

_Call to me....they call to me...._

Transparent images of Argus in different poses appeared all over the place but they all had their hands outstretched to her,inviting her to join him but try as she might,each one she touched,the phantom images disappeared. She was about to give up until another transparent hand stretched out to her,although she wasn't in the mood,she decided to go for one last try and it paid off as the hand was solid as Argus lifted her into his arms,bridal style and more music notes surrounded the two,a myriad of colors,like those of another realm,

_And so here we are,  
Lovers of Lost Dimensions,  
Burning supernovas of all sound and sight!_

Argus caressed Reina as he inhaled the sweet smell of her hair,kissing her forehead as he made his way slowly towards her lips,singing in between intervals of each kiss,

_Every touch,a temptation....._

Reina felt embarrassed as Argus kissed the middle of her eyes,feeling his hot breath on her face which made her blush and Rosa was amazed at how smooth her brother was as he kissed the tip of Reina's nose

_And for every sense,....a sensation....._

Argus moved in for the kiss on Reina's lips as she closed her eyes and prepared herself for the moment when Argus' lips would make contact with hers but....

"Your Highness!Stop!" the music notes disappeared in puffs of rainbow-colored clouds,ruining the romantic mood as Argus still held Reina in his arms before he set her down gently,Oliver had interrupted the kiss as he looked displeased, "What's wrong Oliver,can't you see that we wish to be alone ?" "I'm sorry your majesty,I'll just-" he turned around before remembering what he was suppose to say, "Beg your pardon but you shouldn't shouldn't be involved in a relationship..."

Argus frowned at this, "What do you you mean ?" Oliver cleared his throat as he brought out a tome that was fairly old as the leather bound cover was starting to wear down, "Well,I've been looking up on past events of the Royal Family and I've stumbled upon an interesting discovery....ah! Here it is....1st of January 4983 T.D,Prince Argus' parents,King Leos and Queen Marya had traveled to another kingdom to meet it's ruler as to discuss the future of their two kingdoms and at the end of the discussion,the young infant prince was seen getting along quite well with the young infant daughter of the royal friends and thus,the two were privately engaged and are to be married once Argus has reached the age of 20 and take over the throne of Eraklion 2 years after this marriage but the information of who the princess is or what kingdom her parents rule are unknown to me...." Oliver then shut the book,leaving Argus stunned.

Argus was then yelled at by Reina, "You lead me on!You lied about having feelings for me didn't you!" Argus tried to explain something he didn't know about, "But I-" "No buts!I can't believe you,yo-you...you lecher!" Reina then slapped him in the face before she left running,with tears evidently streaming down her face as her heart was broken,leaving Argus standing there,shocked by both the pain inflicted by slap and the unnerving news of his previously unknown engagement as he just stood there,while Oliver just watched as Reina ran past him.

".....I guess I'll tell the servants to retrieve your belongings from Alfea then..." Oliver quickly but silently left as Rosa released her hold on the invisibility spell and approached her brother, "Argus....are you okay ?..." Argus just stood there like a statue,only his now shallow breathing showed that he was real, "Leave...." Argus' voice was deeper and slightly distorted as he was holding back cries as his throat struggled to hold it in while talking which worried Rosa as she knew Argus can get very emotional when he's like this,she got closer to him "..but brother I-" Argus turned around swiftly as he slapped her in the face,the force sent her falling onto the ground 2 feet away, "Leave!!" Rosa started backing off,knowing that her brother would do more than just a slap to the face if she decided to stay any longer.

Once Rosa was out of sight,Argus let out a scream that could be heard throughout the Royal Grace, "Aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!!!"  
Everyone stopped their activities as they witnessed the amazing sight of the Dragon's Spirit as it soared into the air as it let out a sorrowful roar,saddening the hearts of everyone that saw it as it disappeared while Reina was still crying as she curled herself into a fetal position in her guest room,her tears wracked her body with guilt and sadness as the sounds of Argus' cries were heard out in the garden.

Sera entered the room to see Reina crying as the sounds of Argus' cries was heard but muffled in the distance, "Are you alright Reina ?" Sera sat on the bed next to Reina as her crying calmed down to a sniffle but as she tried explaining,she started crying again as she buried herself in Sera's lap,Sera comforted the crying girl as the distant cries of Argus' anger and sadness was also heard,mingling with the muffled cries of Reina.

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(Spirit Realm,Stellar Castle)

Like Bloom,Stella also had a large castle but of course she had to share it with her ancestors,so she decided to build a castle for herself so she could be alone with her husband,Brandon. The castle itself looked like an exact replica of the Solarian Palace,including the surrounding scenery of the Solarian gardens as a portal opened up with Bloom and Skye walking out of it before it closed up,they breathed out a sigh of relief as they sat down in the shade of a tree.

"I hope Stella doesn't mind us coming here unannounced." Bloom sighed as she adjusted the ruffles in her clothes as some fairy-dust came off, "Don't worry sweetie,Stella won't mind you coming at all." Bloom looked sideways to see Flora coming out from behind the tree,she was still the same cheerful person,wearing an elegant emerald green dress as her wavy brown hair was decorated with lilies, "Hey there Flora,didn't see you there,where's Helia ?" Skye asked as he greeted his long time friend with a gentle hug.

"I'm over here my friend." Skye saw Helia walking up to the three of them,wearing clothing similar to Flora's,carrying a small Dragon-Hound pup in his arms, "Brandon and Stella called us here since one of their Dragon Hounds were giving birth." the newborn pup yawned as it cuddled into Helia's chest as the girls admired the adorable pup as it slept,despite the Spiritual Realm being the afterlife,it was still a place where life thrived as the ones that had passed on as the ones that had passed on who were worthy built new lives in this eden.

"Ahh!" Bloom suddenly doubled over in pain as she clutched her chest,Skye went to her side immediately, "Bloom!What's wrong!" Skye was panicking as the inhabitants of the Spiritual Realm never feel pain unless it had something to do with the mortal realm,including the current keeper of the Flame, "Argus....I'm sensing great anger and sadness from him.....,I must go to him!" acting upon her motherly instincts,she started creating runes that began circling her, "What are you doing ?" "I'm going to my son." Skye then knew what the purpose of the spell she was casting, "Bloom!Don't do it!You may not make it back if you do it!" but his words fell upon deaf ears as the runes increased their speeds before a bright flash blinded the three.

Once the light dimmed away,Bloom was gone as Skye just sat there on the ground,staring at the small scorch mark on the dirt ground as the soft cries of the Dragon Hound pup as the bright flash had disturbed it's sleep as Flora and Helia immediately tried to calm it down but the cries only grew louder as Skye grew worried for his wife

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(Alfea,West Wing Tower)

Cedric Palladium had returned to the school earlier after he sent the young nymph home,he was currently conversing with his wife on his cell phone, "Yes Marila,I understand,I'll be sure to tell him. Bye then." he shut off the device before pocketing it,he saw the Royal Grace just meters away from the campus grounds,he just sighed as he stood there until he heard the powerful roar of a dragon, "A dragon ?....Here...?" he tuned his elven ears to the source of the roar as he pin-pointed it towards the domed-colony of the Royal Grace as he sensed an incredibly powerful source of magic was pulsating with energy.

"My goodness,what's going on in there ?" he wasn't the only one to had heard the roar as each and every person that had heard the roar was watching the 'Galleon-like' craft land just outside the school.

Cedric wanted to see what the source of power was so he opened up a portal that would take him directly to the source or at least near it as possible as he had no idea where he might end up since he only had a vague idea from his son's letters on how the interior of the vessel looked like, "I hope I don't end up in the machines..." with a small breath,he gathered up his courage and leaped into the portal before it disappeared.

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(Kaleb's Lair,Throne Room)

The throne room that was filled with a number of skeletal guards that were staring at Nostrom who was walking nervously up to the throne with their hollow eye-holes as their creator knelt down at the foot of the stairway. "Y-yo-you cal-called for me Lord Kaleb ?" his voice was shaky as he saw a floating monitor beside Lord Kaleb's throne and the monitor transmitted the clear image of Ronand,the child inventor from his post on Andros and the expression the young inventor was not of the pleasant variety as the grim look on his youthful face made him look much older and intimidating.

"As you've been told,Ronand had an invention that was supposed to be presented to me,please explain the details Ronand..." the floating monitor flew up to Nostrom's aged face,the glare from the child inventor was frightening which somehow made the necromancer tremble in his knees,the monitor flew back to Kaleb's side, "Yes my lord. My invention,the Replicator Ray,allows the user to...for example,you want a well trained army in an instant but the forces at your disposal are hardly worth anything in battle,you can just input the proper data into the Replicator Ray and use it on anyone and anything to create the person or item like you want a warrior to train your army into a better fighting force but the device grants you exact copies of that warrior. With that device,you can create a massive fighting force from a pile of scrap with just the push of a button....but!"  
During his pause,Ronand's sights set upon the trembling form of the necromancer, "...but...the prototype was found missing,along with the data chips used for the replication of the Specialist's Jet Stormers and slivers of bones along with some Phantom Dust(1) was found where the Replicator Ray was kept and I traced the clues to their source..." With a snap of his fingers,a robot came out of the shadows,carrying a tray with a cloth covering it's content,the monitor 'sprouted' a pair of arms that took the cloth away to reveal a skeletal head that bore the mark of Nostrom's Elite Guards, a dark crescent moon with a curved dagger across it,it was also coated in purplish dust that made the skull somewhat transparent.

Nostrom was evidently trembling with fear as Lord Kaleb examined the item in question, "I see that your proof is more than enough to convince me of Nostrom's actions." the robot was dismissed as it went back into the shadows,Lord Kaleb got up from his throne and descended from his shadowed throne and into the dim light but as his mysterious face was revealed,nothing was seen as his face was shrouded in darkness since he manipulated the shadows to keep his visage hidden.

When Lord Kaleb reached the trembling form of Nostrom,he knelt in front of the aged necromancer, "Nostrom,my faithful adviser,as this is your first offense to me,I'll let you go....." Nostrom believed that he was free to go so he bowed several times in front of his lord, "Thank you!Thank you my lord!Thank you!" he was stopped when Kaleb disappeared and instantly reappeared sitting on his throne, "..but!You must still be punished!For depriving me of a powerful asset in my plans!You are hereby ordered to assist Ronand in his research and his menial labor on Andros!" Nostrom knew that Lord Kaleb had plans for taking over the Realm of Tides,Andros to start his conquest of the Magic Dimension as the world held countless resources that could aid Lord Kaleb's conquest of the Magic Dimension but from the reports he read about Andros,although they had severed their means of contacting the Magic Council for help but the number of casualties inflicted upon their own forces by the mermaids and Androsians were numerous while they suffered only minimal damage thanks to a mysterious fighter(A.N:hehe). At least doing this was better than being punished to the full extent.

Before he walked out of the room, "Oh,take Morak with you as well." from a shadowed corner of the room,a distinct breathing sound was heard as the bright red eyes of the demon flashed for a moment,showing a vague image of Morak's demonic form, "Of course my lord." Nostrom bowed again before leaving the room,followed by Morak who was dressed in a cloak and hood,hiding his face from curious eyes of the skeletal soldiers.

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(Storm Jet 01)

"Alright,we're near Red Fountain now,I'll try contacting them so that we won't encounter anymore hostilities from anyone here." Fayt proceeded adjusting the communication frequency to match Red Fountain's own com-link while Albel examined his newly acquired Crimson Pride while Cliff gathered up the parts that had fallen off the Valorous Gauntlets but Izak was no where in sight.

"Guys ?Do you feel a draft ?" Fayt shivered a bit as his outfit didn't provide much warmth,Albel was used to the cold as his hometown Airyglyph had winter all year round while Cliff had his bulky muscles to ward off most elements of nature, "Dunno,maybe you can't handle the air-conditioning." Albel smirked at the little joke while Fayt huffed in anger before going back to the communication controls.

If they had investigated further about the source of the draft,they would've found an opened hatch that led to a platform sheltered from the wind and Izak was by the railing,admiring the sky,even though he was a machine,the emotion chip installed into him gave him the unusual persona of a naive child and yet the maturity of a grown man which was quite confusing especially to Izak himself.

" 'sigh' I wonder what's little Jon-Jon is up to right now ?" suddenly Izak's body stiffened as he went into something similar to a seizure but androids don't have seizures or flashbacks...

_(Flashback ?)_

_Izak's vision was at first filled with static as his system played back a video feed from an unknown source,he instantly saw that he was in a garden of sorts,with a fountain in the background,a little boy that looked a lot like Jon-Jon but looked a bit like himself as well,the child was carrying a puppy in his arms._

_"Thanks dad,Willy is the greatest!" 'dad ?' Izak heard his own voice chuckle, "Willy is it ?That's the name of your new pet ?" the child giggled as he grinned, "Yeah dad,I'm going to go play with him now." the child then ran off to a nearby playground before his vision went back into static._

_"Zack ?Are you alright dear ?" the static kept coming and going,Izak managed to make out the image of a young woman sleeping in a bed and he was in it with her, "Yeah,I'm pretty much okay....but shouldn't we prepare to evacuate the Earth in case those....demons actually get here ?" more static overcame his senses before the woman could reply._

_The last scene he saw was that of complete chaos,massive spheres of dark energy were destroying the area around him,the young child and the young woman were with 'him' as they ran towards a transport ship but the puppy in the child's arms got away as the child ran to it, "Samuel!" the woman went back to retrieve the child as well as 'Zack' who followed closely behind ,"Gina!Where's Samuel ?" they immediately saw Samuel trapped under a pile of debris,he held the puppy close in his arms as the little creature licked it's master's face in hopes of cheering him up, 'he' tried lifting the debris up but it was too heavy and he saw that a sphere of deadly energy was heading for them,they all then hugged each other in their final moments before static overcame the final image._

_(Flashback End ?)  
_  
Izak's system came back online as he whispered, "I love you,my beloved family......" he then looked down at his hands which were visibly shaking which he stopped as he got back into the ship since it was starting to land in one of Red Fountain's hangar bays.

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(Royal Grace,Garden Ruins)

During Argus' outburst of his emotions,he had unconsciously tapped into the Dragon Fire's destructive power as each cry he uttered,had created a concentration of power on random areas which then imploded the next moment,creating craters in the previously occupied area,scaring the servants who had tried to approach the angered young prince but that wasn't the only problem,he was emitting an intensely fierce aura which repelled the manor guards who were asked by Rosa to somehow keep Argus' 'rampage' in check while she gathered help.

"Your Highness!Please!Calm yourself!Aaahhh!" the guards were suddenly blown away by a phantom dragon that roared as Argus' emotions continue to run amok,forcing the guards to retreat less they want to lose a limb or their lives,thus Argus was left alone once more.

"Rrahhhhhh!!" Argus punched the stone fountain as it turned into dust fragments,crumbling from his aura,he then felt a jolt of power which racked his body with pain as it started changing in an unnatural way.

In the far corner of the garden where it was still safe and untouched,Cedric was appeared from his portal and ended up in the branches of a tree before falling rather comically into a rose bush,being pricked by the thorns in the process, "Ouch!That smarts!...huh ?" he heard the cries and he also sensed the incredible source of power that he had detected earlier but the sheer power of the magic had soon reached that part of the garden,the plants then caught fire, "Oh my!I got to put them out!" Cedric tried every single spell that was suppose to douse the fire but it only seemed to feed the fire as it greedily absorbed each spell's magical energy,rendering them useless.

"The fire....could it be....the Dragon's Flames ?" he knew the various effects that the sacred flame could have on the keeper since he had learned them from various sources,including Avalon who had helped Bloom master her powers in her last years at Alfea,he tried to move towards the source but the power given off kept him at bay so he had no choice but to stay put until the energy subsides.

Reina had relatively calmed down a bit but she was still weeping as her heart was still aching,Sera took out a handkerchief and wiped the tears away from her face, "There now,tell me what happened between you and Argus okay ?" Reina nodded as she sat down on the carpeted floor until Trevor burst into the room, "Look out!" a sonic boom then shattered the windows,flying glass shards heading for the two girls, "Damn!" Sera activated her compact shield and stood in front of Reina but not a single shard hit her shield.

"Arghh!" Trevor went to his knees as he had used his magical powers to increase his speed and created a barrier but not before a few of the glass shards had stabbed into his arms and legs,crippling him as he tried pulling them out albeit painfully. "Get to the main hall,Rosa's calling for all of us to get there and I think whatever caused that sonic boom is the reason....ah!" he yelped as he pulled another piece of glass from his knee. Sera wanted to help Trevor out but his voice had become quite stern so she and Reina left the room.

At the main hall,Rosa had created a barrier to hold back Argus' aura while the servants tended to the wounded guards who had been hit with that sonic boom earlier,Oliver were currently out at Alfea to retrieve the royal siblings' belongings and Rylon was gone as he had gotten off to check on the Specialists stationed there and both were unaware of the current situation,Reina then rushed into the room with Sera beside her, "What's wrong Rosa ?" her friend pointed to the lone figure of Argus crying out in rage as he destroys another section of the once lush garden. "What's wrong with him ?" Reina had a good idea of what was but she hoped that she was wrong,

Rosa just took out a small tablet from her pocket before turning it back into the Dragon Fire Tome,flipping to the section about Argus,she managed to strike a 'deal' with the book in a manner of speaking that it would cause the prohibited section to be faded away so she wouldn't be able to read it but the rest showed a few details of the Dragon Fire's potential, "This is the first time in known history that a keeper of the Dragon Fire was male but all past keepers had problems with their emotions as they were quite fragile,the past keepers were female and knew how to keep their powers from taking over by using it when they transform,allowing them to disperse the excess energy in their fairy form but Argus is a mage and mages are only able to release excess energy through meditation or combat and since the Dragon's Flame has unlimited energy,the former is Argus' only form of calming himself down...." an uprooted tree struck the barrier before it broke into tiny splinters of wood.

"...and Argus hasn't performed his scheduled monthly meditation in days....." Rosa then collapsed,crying as she dropped the tome onto the floor, "It's hopeless!He'll burn out his life force before the Dragon Fire even stops!He'll die!"(wasn't expecting that weren't you guys,I know,too much drama but what the hay) Reina gasped at the news but she was suddenly surrounded by a fiery light as it entered her being but no one noticed this, _'Let me borrow your body for a moment' _a gentle voiced asked as Reina allowed this unknown presence controlled her body as it moved towards the barrier which opened up on her command and closed up after she passed it.

"Reina!Get back here!" Rosa had seen her pass through her most powerful barrier like it was nothing and the fire-like aura of Argus didn't even try to stop her,as if they respected her,Reina turned her head sideways so that she could speak with Rosa, "Don't worry my dear,I'll be fine....Bloom magic Winx!" she went through her transformation but the result was different as instead of Reina in her red fairy form,it was Bloom in her emerald fairy outfit,it now had crimson fringes,signifying her evolution in her original life.

"....Bloom ?....." Bloom then flew towards Argus who had by then transformed into a weird hybrid of himself and a deformed version of Efreet's armor,Argus was still crying,the tears from his own face was normal but the other half which was the armor's shed tears of molten lava which burned the ground,the moment he saw Bloom,he curled into a fetal position as the hybrid armor continued taking over his body, "A forced transformation...." Bloom whispered as she saw the heart breaking sight of her son,suffering and deep inside,Reina saw this and unconsciously caused her eyes to shed a tear.

"Argus....." Bloom said in her gentle voice as she knelt down next to the reincarnation of her son and hugged him, "It's alright...mommy's here...it'll be okay,mommy is here to keep the bad things away....." Argus then hugged her as he started responding according to an experience he seemed to have attained in his past life, "Mommy!Please don't leave me!" Bloom ran her hands through Argus' bangs as she kissed him on the forehead,calming Argus' emotions as the armor faded away before he lost consciousness.

Bloom then released her hold on Reina's body but before she gave him an advice, "Stay with him please,he needs you....." then Reina returned to her normal outfit and fainted on top of Argus. "Reina!Argus!Are you...alright ?" Rosa came up to them to see that they were sleeping,she sighed as she rubbed her forehead, "Alright,Sera was it ?" Sera nodded in response, "Okay,can you take Reina to her room,the servants should be able to carry Argus back to his....on second thought,I think I'll have the servants set up another bed in brother's room." a servant was jotting her words down "What,for your highness ?" Rosa smiled as she started a spell to restore the garden. "Oh,something like that."

Somewhere near the front of the manor,Oliver had returned with every single item belonging to the three royals but the servants had gotten themselves stuck in the doorway with the large stacks of luggage in their arms, "Alright,everyone come back out and separate the luggage into smaller piles and move in one by one and come back to retrieve more later." While the servants did as they were told,Oliver decided to go around to the back of the manor through the garden but when he passed by a rose bush,he heard rustling as Cedric came out of it complaining, "Darn it,that sonic boom sent me back into this prickly rose bush..." the elven teacher looked at the newcomer, "Son ?" "Father ?"

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(Diplo I,Leingod Room)

The room was silent save for the soft snoring from the occupants as they slept peacefully but Maria wasn't as she tossed and turned about,somehow pushing the other girls away and they were apparently in a very deep sleep as Peppita snorted a bit when her face was temporarily smothered with Maria's pillow,Maria's expression was full of fear as she was having another nightmare....

(Maria's Nightmare)

_The dream had started with a happy beginning,the day she became Mrs Leingod. The wedding took place on Elicoor II,in the city of Aquaria,countless people were flocking to Castle Aquaria where the chapel was situated to witness the wedding,Mirage and the other girls were the bridesmaids but Nel refused to go into the room with Albel there without a weapon so she wore a unique white version of her own clothes that resembled a bridesmaids dress and her daggers were cleverly hidden in the ruffles of her skirt,Albel was persuaded by Woltar to wear the tuxedo that Fayt had provided but he'd refused to be without his Crimson Scourge while Cliff still wore his regular outfit since he couldn't find a suitable tailor on __time._

_As the last guests sat down,Arzei the king of Airyglyph and Romeria,queen of Aquaria stood in front of the couple as the two started repeating the words of the wedding vows that Fayt had requested them to use _(Since I'm lazy and I don't exactly know the vows,I'll just skip to the last line)

_"...and by the powers invested in both of us and the Holy Mother Apris,we pronounce you husband and wife." as the two sovereigns presented the two with gold rings,although the two were supposed to be presented with something more elaborate,they asked for this as they wished for something of the wedding to be simple._

_For some reason,the scenery in her dream changed from that to a terrible nightmare as she suddenly found herself in an unfamiliar location,it looked like a vast open field with a tower-like structure in the distance but the scene before her was horrifying as the field was covered with bodies of young men and women as their blood trickled down to bathe the ground in red_

_'No!What is this!' she saw that a battle was going on nearby a group of teens were fighting a massive army of monsters and one by one,the small group dwindled in their numbers but a person rushed to their rescue as she saw the familiar attacks of her husband's, 'Air Raid!' a barrage of air shots dispersed a cluster of the monsters._

_'Fayt!' she rushed towards her husband to help him but the closer she got,the farther Fayt went as he continuously fought to protect the teens but soon,they were all killed as Fayt kept battling,now for survival but one of the monsters delivered a lucky hit as it tore a gaping wound in his sides,severely crippling him as he fell onto his knees as he continued fighting a hopeless battle._

_Maria cried as she tripped on a body and to her horror,it was Cliff's as his face was filled with fear as a large hole was where his chest was suppose to be and she spotted the familiar metal limb of Albel's as it was covered in blood and entrails, clutching the head of a dead monster but the limb wasn't connected with Albel's shoulder as it just laid there,she screamed in terror as she saw a monster finally plunging it's sharp claws into Fayt's exposed back as it came back out from his chest,his mouth drew out blood as he uttered his final words, 'Ma..ria....I love...you...' he then became limp as Maria screamed 'Faaaayyyyt!!!!!'_

_(End Dream)_

"Maria!Wake up!" Maria snapped her eyes open as she found herself seated in the pilot seat of a Cutter class Fighter as she had her hands gripped firmly around the controls with just the ship one push of a button away from lift-off, "Wh....Why am I here ?" Mirage quickly rushed towards the confused girl as she hugged her gently, "You were sleep walking,you were crying as you went out of the room,thank goodness that Sophia saw you enter the hangar before something else had happened." Maria then started crying as she remembered the nightmare,Mirage was worried that Maria might get into one of her mood swings again so she prepared herself to hit Maria's pressure points to paralyze her if needed but she showed sympathy as Maria was like a daughter to her.

"What's wrong honey,is everything okay ?" Maria just hugged Mirage tighter as she cried even harder as she uttered out parts of her nightmare,Mirage couldn't properly understand what Maria said between her sobs but she had a good guess that it had something to do with Fayt, "It's alright,he'll be alright and we'll need you to be fine and healthy when he comes back,alright ?"  
Maria nodded as she suddenly fell asleep.

A small crowd by then had gathered around the small craft as Mirage came out with Maria cuddled in her arms sleeping,she looked so helpless like a newborn baby as she slept in Mirage's arms,Sophia rushed towards them with her staff in hand, "Does she need any healing ?" Mirage smiled as she shook her head, "No,but a good dose of a Sleep spell might help her." Sohia nodded as she followed Mirage back into the Leingod Room before she placed a Sleep spell on her, "Siren,sing thy melody to calm our souls,Sleep...." with that Maria became less restless as she slept much more peacefully. "Come on,we should all get back to our room for sleep,I'll stay back to watch over her." Sophia nodded as she and the others left the room.

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(Diplo II,Medical Bay)

"_'Yawns'_....Where am I ?" he woke up to see the familiar ceilings of the Medical Bay, "Oh right,I fell asleep with..." he turned his head sideways and came face to face with Cecille who was still asleep and something suddenly jerked him in the back as he unintentionally kissed Cecille and he was later blinded by a flash as a resounding click of a button was heard.

"Got it!" Zeke cheered as he made a dash for the exit but Jake grabbed his communicator and activated the control link to the ship's system and turned off the gravity,rendering Zeke's escape futile as the medical bay's equipment,namely the robotic arms used to restrain rowdy patients grabbed him and pulled him towards Jake.

"Hand the camera over,now!" Zeke tried to pull a puppy dog look but the glare from Jake's eyes cancelled it out as Zeke reluctantly hand over the camera that he managed to scrap together from the salvaged camera that Jake broke was salvaged and improvised into a new one. "Thank you." Jake gave his friend a mischievous smile as he uttered a symbology spell, 'Firebolt!' the small device was burned into ash as Zeke groaned in despair before every device in the room was restored in their original positions.

"Now don't do that again or your paycheck is forfeited,understood ?" Zeke nodded as he exited the room,Jake heard a giggle behind him as he saw Cecille awake and giggling, "Your cute when your all commanding like that...." she placed her hands on Jake's cheek as she leaned in closer to Jake's face,puckering her lips for another kiss,this startled Jake as he blushed to the point that he resembled a beet.

"Umm,Miss Sanders....Cecille,I don't think that we should do this!We are only colleagues!" he was getting frantic as he soon saw that Cecille's uniform shirt was unbuttoned and saw her undershirt which hugged against her body quite tightly because the Striker's cockpit was hot and had caused both of them to sweat profusely,Jake tried one last excuse, "You're delirious from the heat!" he was almost screaming as Cecille just cupped his other cheek with her remaining hand as she moved in for the kiss,she smiled seductively, "Oh I'm delirious alright from the heat alright...." she surprisingly removed her hands from Jake who was relieved,believing that Cecille had just snapped out of her hallucination but it was far from it as she turned her attention back to the still nervous Jake, "...I'm delirious from the heat of passion!!" she then jumped onto Jake and fell onto the floor as the bed sheets tangled up Jake's arms. Soon,sounds of muffled cries was heard as Jake tried to call out for help but it was mostly muffled out by Cecille's kisses on his lips.

Meanwhile,Zeke was whistling as he flipped the small disc where the pictures that the camera took was stored,he had made the camera so that each picture taken would be stored immediately to a backup memory disc in case the original was destroyed, "Zeke's gonna be having an auction tonight!" he then pulled out various items from his pockets as he commandeered a hover tray from the cafeteria and placed a sheet of silk upon it so as to make it more attractive before arranging the items on it but he then started becoming worried as he frantically searched his uniform for something, "Oh no!I lost the Pheromone Potion(1)!" After a while he gave up and decided to proceed with his auction which was unauthorized by the way, "Alright everyone!I have items up for bidding!Might I interest you good people in the recording of the mystery song along with hints of who the singers that sang that song ? Well,the bid starts at a thousand Fol!" the moment he said it,more higher bids were made as Zeke's smile grew bigger, _'If this keeps up!I can retire early from the military and be back home to win that wager!' _he then slammed a spoon on a plate as a makeshift mallet, "Sold!At ten thousand Fol to the lovely young cadet!"

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Pheromone Potion:In the Star Ocean game,it's an item that decreases the affection rating but here,it affects the person's hormones,amplifying the person's emotions for example,love or anger but in this case,love. Meaning that Cecille's small crush on Jake has turned into full blown passion. I leave it to your imagination of how Cecille took the potion.  
Side-note:I'm in a way moving Jake's relationship along,hope you enjoyed this Shinryu cause the plotline for this segment was specially created for you and if any of you readers wish for something to happen,just tell me in your reviews.

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(Meanwhile at Red Fountain,Saladin's Office)

Fayt and co. had been waiting inside Saladin's office for the technicians to complete the repair of Cliff's gauntlets,they had been discussing certain topics concerning the Federation's so-called assault on Red Fountain earlier.

Saladin was showing the video recording of the battle that happened a few days ago,Fayt was rubbing his eyes to make sure they were seeing right,while Izak,Cliff and Albel were intently watching the scene unfold before them in the screen. When the recording ended,Saladin sighed, "As you can see,the report I had sent to Olsen is true." Cliff huffed as he played back the recording as he then pointed out certain things on the screen when he paused it, "Mr Saladin,would you mind circling the spots I'm pointing out ?" "Certainly." Saladin pulled up a holographic keyboard and then circled in the spots which Cliff pointed out.

"Thanks,now zoom in on the circled areas." Fayt and Saladin gasped, "My goodness!They all look alike!" Cliff smirked as he explained his theory, "I have a theory that these fake Federation troops are just copies and are being used to assault your school and from what you told us,you are the main training school for the defenders of this entire dimension,so if your school goes down,then the entire universe has to depend on their individual run-of-the-mill fighters,thus meaning that someone is trying to cripple the dimension's fighting force." the ones who hadn't noticed the similarities nodded as they understood his theory, "that and the fighting style of these copy troops have a violent style than the ones I had to knock out in my Quark days."

"I see what you mean I-" Saladin was interrupted when a young cadet Specialist entered the room in a rush, "Headmaster!There's another unit of those soldiers coming this way and they have what looks like the Army of Decay backing them up!" Saladin immediately stood up as he followed the young cadet towards the door,he turned back towards Fayt, "I'm sorry young man but I have dire matters to attend to." but instead of nodding in agreement,they all took out their weapons,Cliff just took out a pair of Mythril Gauntlets to temporarily replace the Valorous Gauntlets, "No way man,we're helping you out whether or not you like it." Cliff slammed his fist into his palm, "Cliff's right,we can't just sit here while you guys fight for your lives out there." Albel just sheathed the Crimson Pride as he huffed in impatience, "I don't care whether or not you maggots live through this battle,I'm just there for the thrill of battle." Izak simply nodded as he flashed an innocent smile, "I'll be there to fight those bad-guys so they can't get at Jon-Jon."

Saladin saw the resolve in each person's eyes,he sighed in defeat, "Very well,I'll put each of you in charge of a squad just in case. Follow me then." the small group followed Saladin out as the far-off sounds of marching was clearly heard as the Fake Federation Troops and their sizable backup force of Beast Troopers and Juggernauts followed closely behind as they got closer to Red Fountain for another assault.

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(Space Near the 15th Militia Spaceport,Andrew Heinmann's Location)

After the engines of the rocket boosters had burned out,Andrew signaled for his officers to move out of the makeshift barge to see a horrific sight, "My god!" the Spaceport was in ruins,small explosions occurred as parts of the station fell apart,several droids were seen repairing as much of the station they can with their small number of units, "Sir,this must have been Schlling's doing...he's already done enough with the death of the Woglinde's crew...but this ?"

Andrew balled his hands into a fist but calmed himself down before he did something brash, "We better contact the spaceport before landing so as to avoid hostilities." but then,the Space Station started firing it's remaining cannons upon the four Zakus but the Zaku's specially reinforced armor managed to protect them for the time being. "Darn it!Get a com-link running,we'll use the container as a shield until then!"

While the four Zakus hid behind the container,a small group of fighters were deployed to attack them. "Is the com-link established yet!?" one of the officers yelled out as he batted away a laser shot with the Zaku's axe while Andrew was reading through the manual's extra edition, he then controlled his Zaku to adjust the machine gun's configurations before he fired on a fighter which hit it dead on but instead of exploding,the fighter just lost power to it's weapon system as well as the capability to move,Andrew quickly used the EMP Machine Gun to his advantage as he fired it at the remaining seven fighters before moving on to the defense turrets on the station,rendering them completely useless.

"Come on,let's collect the fighters and move to the docking station,they'll never believe us unless we're there in person." "Yes sir." the four Zakus then gently grabbed onto each fighter and carefully put them in the slightly dented container and pulled it along as the Zakus made their way towards the currently defenseless spaceport.

(Docking Station)

When the four mobile suits entered the docking zone,they saw nobody so they first put each fighter with their pilots on one side of the docks with the Zakus had to secure themselves by gripping their large fingers on certain parts of the interior.

Unfortunately,when Andrew and his officers got out of their stolen machines and were suddenly met with the sounds and sights of a few dozen guns raised and aimed in their direction, "Halt!Put your hands in the air!Comply with our orders and we'll see if we can lessen your punishment." one of Andrew's officers confronted the armed guards, "Now don't you dare talk to Commander Heinmann like that!" he was hit in the gut by the butt of a guardsman's rifle.

"Arghh!Darn that hurt..." he uttered before he was pulled back up by Andrew, "Easy there,we just survived the Woglinde's capture,we don't want another casualty do we." "Everyone!Put your guns away!You can't treat our commander's uncle like this!" a person wearing a full-body pilot suit that also covered his face approached the one of the guardsman complained, "But sir!He could be in league with Schilling!" the young man took away the rifle before taking out it's battery pack and handing the rifle back, "Now correct me if I'm wrong but isn't Schilling the one that almost caused the decline of Heinmann's military career ?"

After a while,the guards dispersed when they finally understood the situation, "Forgive my men for their behavior,they've been on edge since the attack by Schilling's forces." the person removed his helmet to reveal an Expelian youth with a face and hair almost exactly like that of Jake's own looks with the exception of the longer ears,he opened his eyes to reveal amber red eyes, "I'm David Schultz,son to the captain of the Woglinde,Wayne Schultz and by the looks on your faces,I take it that he died in the aftermath of your escape."

Andrew cast his sights downward, "We're not sure whether or not your father was there,we only found bodies of officers,your father might still be alive." Andrew tried lifting up the mood, "As much as I would like to think that,the chances of him being alive is highly unlikely,he is a man of virtues and would rather die than cower and let his subordinates die because of him. Come,follow me to my office." the small group of officers led by their commander followed David in hopes of finding a way to stop Schilling from achieving his goal.

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(White House,Charles' Presidential Office)

Charles Scotts was busy working on something as he typed in various information into his computer,a knock was heard on the oaken door as Charles answered, "Come in." the door opened and General Wilde came in with his subordinate,Elliot Greves wearing a normal Federation uniform,he was carrying a rather thick folder.

"General Wilde and Special Agent Lieutenant Greves reporting." both of them saluted which Charles responded with his own salute, "At ease gentlemen,have you obtained the information I requested ?" Wilde gestured for Elliot to present his report and the young agent gave Charles the folder.

Opening the folder,Charles found several reports and picked the first one of the pile, "The designs on the Invisible,thank you Agent Greves,this and the other reports will be very useful,is there anything else to report ?" Elliot nodded, "Yes Mr President,the report I've given you is still incomplete as the more secured files on Schilling's data is still being recovered by Ron's team and he's requested that you grant him access to the Federation's data banks so as to speed up the search." Wilde was a bit startled at Elliot's request but Charles had expected this.

"I thought he would've asked for that....fine,grant him a VIP access card and be sure to check his clothes for any strange gadgets or tools and have a guard accompany him. If he's still the same from our college days,he'd probably try to read all that classified data instead of doing research. You may both leave now."The two military personnels saluted before they exited the room,leaving Charles to read the first report of more to come.

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(70 S.D,Esteed Household)

The week had gone by without incident and it was the night of the Costume Dance,Sophia came out of her room dressed in an elegant red dress with a long skirt that had pink ruffles circling around it and was quite close to the ground,Sophia wore a pink hair band to hold her hair in place and a small pink mask was also in her hands,she put on her red high-heeled shoes before applying a bit of make-up to her face,after she was done,she smiled at her reflection in the mirror, "Alright,time to get Tom ready." she started walking towards to Thomas' room,the sounds of her high-heel shoes clicking and clacking along the way.

"Knock,knock,Tom,are you ready yet ?" Sophia asked as there was no sound from the room,the girl frowned at this as she opened the door to see that the lights were off,she tip-toed into the room to see if Thomas was asleep or something,she then heard whistling as well as the sounds of the shower being turned off as Thomas came into the room in a bathrobe while whistling a British tune.

"Oh hello there Miss Sophia....my you look beautiful!" Sophia blushed at his compliment but remembered that they were suppose to arrive at the dance in twenty minutes, "Come on,you need to get changed!.....I'll turn around so hurry up." Sophia's face was burning up as she remembered that he was only in his bathrobe. "Done!" Sophia turned around to see Thomas wearing a black tuxedo with the usual accessories of a bow-tie and a flower in his front pocket,he was holding a satin box in his hand, "Here Miss Sophia,I wanted to give you something....as a way of saying thank you for helping me fit in around in this new world....." Thomas opened up the box to reveal the gift which to Sophia's delight was a tiara fitted with small diamonds and a red ruby as the centerpiece as it sat on it's velvet cushion.

"Oh Tom!It's wonderful!" Thomas smiled at Sophia's happiness, "Now,let me put it on you." Thomas removed Sophia's hair band and replaced it with the tiara,Sophia then took a look at herself in front of Thomas' mirror and she hugged the young teacher, "Thanks,it's so beautiful,it must've cost you a fortune!" Thomas chuckled at this, "You have no idea but it's worth it to see you happy like this..." Sophia hugged him even tighter as he patted the slightly thinner wallet of his.

"Come,we're going to be late." Thomas pulled Sophia gently along as they exited the house and got aboard the taxi that had waited for them, "Where to guv'ner ?" Thomas was amused at the driver's accent and certain familiar features were shown as the driver smiled, "To the Bachtain University please." the driver tipped his hat as he started the vehicle, "Righto guv." the 'driver' nodded as he started his vehicle towards the campus.

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(Spirit Realm,Stellar Castle)

"Ughh....not again..." Argus groaned as he noticed that he was back in the Spirit Realm again,he tried getting up but he felt something or someone was pinning him down and he was in for a surprise, "What the ?Bloom ?" his 'mother' got off him but she immediately fell over but her 'son' caught her in time before he heard the familiar voice of Skye, "Hey guys!I found them!" Skye ran towards the two as he waved to them.

(Sometime later,Inside Stellar Castle)

Argus sighed as he reclined into a comfortable chair,Bloom was in an identical chair next to him as Flora and Stella who was the same as always,dressed in a beautiful yellow and orange gown along with a number of jewelery. The two were placing some unusual vines that Flora just created from her magic on his skin which stuck on like glue while the other ends of the clinging vines were attached to Bloom.

"Explain to me again why we're doing this ?" Stella let out a sigh of exasperation before explaining to Argus the situation again, "Alright dearie,even though you're the reincarnation of my friend's son,I'll explain this one more time..." Argus gulped as Stella's expression of being annoyed was scaring Argus, "...alright,your mom just used up most of her powers that had remained mostly dormant after the day she passed away,the leftover energies of her mortal body was transferred to her new spiritual body which is currently in need of magical essence to get her to wake up or else she'll keep sleeping until it's restored on it's own,which would takes years if not decades." Stella was still explaining when Argus interrupted, "..and what does it have to do with me ?" Stella glared at Argus who had shut up, "The reason why you're here is to transfer part of your energy to restore Bloom's ans since you're the only one with the largest source of Dragon Fire around here,well....you get the idea. Got it memorized dearie ?" he nodded before Flora started explaining on what to do.

Meanwhile,Skye was talking with Brandon and Helia,like Stella,Brandon wore clothes that made him look refined(think a slimmer version of Stella's father's clothes), "Come on buddy,she'll pull through this like she always does." Brandon cheered up Skye a bit as Helia fed the newborn pup some milk from a small baby bottle, "Yes and besides,Flora and Stella are there to help her as well as Argus too is there." Skye nodded as he smiled a little bit more, "Thanks you guys."

While the men continued their pep talk, "Alright,when I say go,you must concentrate your energy into those vines as they'll transfer them into Bloom,restoring her back to normal....alright,now." Argus closed his eyes as he concentrated on his magical energy into Bloom's unconscious form as the magical energy traveled through the vines and into Bloom as she slowly regained  
some of her energy as she woke up and the vines automatically detached themselves from both of their skin as they turned into seeds which Flora collected.

"Good to see you awake sweetie." Flora said as she help Bloom up from the chair before she was hugged by Stella, "I appreciate it Stell but you're crushing my back." Stella released Bloom from her 'hug' "Sorry about that." the doors opened up as the little Dragon-Hound pup ran into the room and despite it's small size,tackled Bloom as it started licking her face before the boys ran into the room to retrieve the runaway pup, "Sorry about that girls,he got out of Helia's...Bloom!You're alright!" Skye then embraced Bloom in a tight hug but fortunately,Skye controlled his strength.

When everything was said and done,Bloom then noticed that Argus was unconscious as he laid there on the chair. "Aww,for a 'mighty' Specialist,he looks so much like a helpless baby when he's asleep." Flora cooed as she saw Argus in this rare state of slumber but the strange thing was that he was growing pale as he spontaneously released a surge of power that was actually just a fraction of the excess energy of the Dragon Fire's power as he faded from the Spirit Realm and returned to the Mortal Realm,leaving the group of people confused of what had just happened.

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(15th Militia Spaceport,David Schultz's Office)

Just like everything else on the Space-station,David Schultz's office was affected by the attack by Schilling's forces as it was in disarray but it served it's purpose as David and Andrew sat down in the two seats there while Andrew's officers were escorted to the Residential Quarters.

As one of David's officers saluted and exited the room,David started, "I noticed that the Mobile Suits you've commandeered from Schilling's forces are Zakus are they not ?" Andrew nodded, "I see,well let's get to the point,your nephew had been working on similar designs,he managed to complete a prototype Mobile Suit codenamed:Striker which could have been used but it was with Commander Cain." Andrew eye's went wide as he heard this, "When did he get a promotion ?"

"Didn't you know,the President had him promoted just after he left in the Diplo II and the fleet." Andrew sighed as he settled down into his seat. "Now then,although the Striker is not here,we had managed to construct several variants of the Striker..." David pushed a button as the wall behind him opened up to reveal four Mobile Suits,each with a distinctive design as several technicians in the partially weightless room,continued to fix several parts of all four units that were incomplete.

"....unfortunately,the pilots that were trained to pilot these units were killed when the station was attacked." Andrew raised his eyebrow, "And the reason you're telling me this is....?" David turned towards Andrew, "Well,I need you to pilot one of these units along with your officers since you and your team are the only ones currently with the highest chance of piloting the G Units.....So,do you accept ?" Andrew thought this out but he then replied, "I'm too tired to decide right now but I'll think about it."

David understood as Andrew seem like he really needs a good sleep, "I understand,my subordinates will escort you to your quarters." Andrew smiled in appreciation as he rubbed his weary eyes as he followed David's subordinate along the halls to the comfy bed in his new room.

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(Woglinde,Equipment Storage Room)

During the capture of the Woglinde,an officer pushed Wayne Shultz into the room when he was knocked out,the last words that the officer said to him before he closed the door, "I'm sorry sir,but you must live so that Schilling can't carry out whatever scheme he has."

Several hours later,Wayne woke up with a groan as he touched the back of his head where he was hit earlier but before he could recover completely from the hit to his head,he heard the sound of footsteps just outside the door, "Hmm,thought I heard something in there,better check it out." Wayne Schultz quickly scrambled behind large a box containing weapons of all ranges.

A man wearing the signature uniform of Schilling's forces entered the room with a weapon that looked very similar to the extinct Vendeeni's Disruptor Rifles,the armed guard searched the room,starting with the racks of Phase Rifles in the back of the storage room,Wayne knew that he would be eventually be discovered so he slowly reached into the weapons cache he was hiding behind and took out a Laser Weapon. Slowly creeping up to the oblivious guard,Wayne swung the club he had created from the Laser Weapon,knocking the guard out with a strong hit in the back of the guard's head and the guard went out like a light. "Now,let's get a new change of clothes shall we ?"

Sometime later,Wayne came out wearing the guard's uniform which was a little to large for his body but it served it's purpose as he hid his long ears under a cap that the guard was wearing but it was a bit tight but he just patted the Laser Weapon he put into his pocket,he shoulder the guard's rifle as he marched down the hallway,in hopes of finding out what had happened during the time he was knocked out.

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(Spirit Realm,Dragon Fire Palace)

When Bloom went back to the Spirit Realm,Reina had inadvertently tagged along for the ride and ended up in the flower garden just in front of the gates of the palace and she was still asleep,since nobody ever visits the gardens unless they were there to pick flowers since gardeners weren't needed as the flowers always grow back the next day.

Two people found her sleeping in a bed of clovers,the two turned out to be Riven accompanied by his wife Musa,they wore clothes that look almost the same as their old ones but much more reserved, "Who is this girl Riven ?" Musa knelt down beside Reina and Riven did the same as Riven checked her pulse, "She has a warm pulse and has a strong amount of magic in her,she must be from the Mortal Realm,come on,let's take her in to see Bloom." Riven then carried the still sleeping girl through the gates of Dragon Fire Palace. When they had left,the bed of clovers she slept on suddenly turned into a bed of flowers.

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(Meanwhile,On the Royal Grace)

While Rosa's restoration spell repaired the damages Argus caused,Sera was roaming around the manor,thinking about a particular red-headed Specialist, _'I know that I would've gotten hurt if he didn't come in front of me like that....' _just at that moment,she stumbled upon a small trail of blood on the carpeted floors, _'Trevor!' _Sera quickly followed the trail of blood to it's source and hoping that he's okay.

Sera sighed in relief when she found Trevor sitting on the bed in his guest room,wearing a pair of well-worn jeans and a white shirt with a simple red vest as he painfully extracted a few more glass shards from his right arm,the other three limbs were already bandaged but using your own left hand to bandage the other arm was quite difficult as Trevor kept getting tied up by the bandages and with each attempt,he became more like a mummy,Sera giggled at the comedic display as the tied up Specialist noticed her.

"Come on,let me help you out." Sera unwrapped the 'mummified' Trevor before wrapping some of the bandages on Trevor's swollen arm which was still bleeding a bit but the healing saves he applied slowed it down but it still hurt as he winced when Sera finished wrapping it but patted it a tad to hard, "Oops!Sorry about that,here let me make it up to you." Trevor looked at her as he rubbed his arm, "You can start by not doing that again,at least until my limbs heal up." Sera nodded as she sat closer to Trevor before talking again, "Well,I came here to say.....thanks for...you know...saving us back there." Trevor smiled as Sera thanked him.

"You're welcome but Sages have sworn an oath to assist Specialists if necessa-" Sera then kissed him on his cheek before she made a run for the door but stopped just outside the door, "Thanks...for being a hero." Trevor just sat there,touching the spot where he was kissed,his lips curved into a smile.

(Garden Area)

Oliver was having a talk with his father in order to catch up for the three years lost when Oliver accepted the position as an adviser of the Eraklion Court,they managed to talk up to the events that had happened a few minutes ago, "Darn it,I shouldn't have told him about that engagement until I've found out more about it!"

Oliver hit his own head as he called himself stupid over and over until his father knocked a bit of sense into him, "Now see here son,you did it because you wanted to follow your duty to your king but you must know when to break the bonds of duty and follow what you decide for yourself."

Oliver smiled at his father's advice, "Thank you father,I-huh ?" he noticed that Cedric was nowhere in sight,he only saw a portal that closing up. "Oh father..." Oliver sighed as he dusted off the dirt in his trousers as he walked back to the manor before an announcement was heard, _'Attention please,the Royal Grace is now out of Magix's orbit and is preparing to perform a Dimensional Jump(1) to Eraklion' _"Great,I hate Dimensional Jumps,they always make my magic Topsy-turvy." Oliver then continued his walk back into the mansion.

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Dimensional Jump:A fast way for large ships like the Royal Grace to travel,the process is relatively simple as four mages pour their magical energies into the engine which then starts a machine that will create a portal to the desired destination in a shorter amount of time than necessary in conventional methods._  
_

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(Red Fountain,Third Defense Line)

Red Fountain had managed to set up a number of defensive positions,seven in total all around the school as several Specialists in the rearward defense lines were still hurrying to get themselves ready and alert should their fellow heroes fail in their duties.  
Fayt and the others were part of the third defense corp....in fact,they were the only members of the corp with each of them a squad of five Specialists,a total of twenty four fighters,to fend off any and all attacks by themselves if the first two defense lines are overrun.

Fayt look at the Specialists in each squad and compared the the other defense corps,they at first glance seemed ill-prepared as their numbers seemed insufficient to fight back such a large enemy force and the Specialists in the squads seemed to think so too. Cliff walked up to Fayt and whispered, "These guys may look tough and they might be too but considerin' that their only sophomores,they might last about fifty minutes but that's it,these guys seemed to be trained to fight only in teams." Albel had heard their conversation, "These maggots would probably fall to pieces should even one of them fall."

Izak sighed as Albel's words seemed to lower the morale of the Specialists under their command, "Don't worry about what Mr Nox said,we'll be fine. The first two lines have the seniors and we'll take care of any stragglers that slip by nothing more,got it ?" the Specialist Squadron Captains nodded and smiles were evident on each of their faces but the smiles faltered as a large explosion occurred just between them and the first two defense lines.

"What the!Fayt!Clear that fire!" Cliff started charging up a Symbology spell of his own,Fayt had already charged up his spell, "Ice Needle!" a ball of ice appeared above his head before a barrage of icicles went for the fire that separated the first two defense lines from them,the ice melting into water dousing out the fire but only to see the senior Specialists retreating from their positions and Fayt noticed that all of them were severely injured.

"Damn it!Those maggots from the frontlines were defeated so easily!" Albel yelled as he pulled out the Crimson Pride,the blood-red steel gleamed in the sunlight, "It's time that we help." Izak stretched out his hand where a digitizer's beam shot out and created a Beam Scythe, "Glad I made friends with him. Alright!All squadrons,assume your defensive positions,we'll move in for close combat!" the Specialists obeyed as they see from each of their 'leaders' stances showed that they are capable warriors.

"Alright guys,ready to do our thing ?" Fayt brought out his Levantine while Cliff dismissed the spell he was going to use and slammed his fists together, "Yeah,I'm ready to kick some butt." Izak hefted the Beam Scythe onto his shoulders, "Ready and willing!" Albel slashed the air with the Crimson Pride with created a small but strong air wave, "Ready when you are maggot." Fayt nodded as he stared down the oncoming enemy forces they'll be soon facing. "Charge!" the four of them ran headlong into battle while the Specialists watched in wonder as they soon defeated one enemy after the other.

(Behind the School)

Since most of the Specialists of the school were in the front lines fighting the large enemy force,no one except a small number of Rookie Specialists were there, "Darn!I wanted to be in that battle." a young Specialist complained before he was suddenly hit by a flying tree,instantly knocking him out, "You want a battle eh ? Let me entertain you then!" A tree was ripped off it's roots as it was hurled at the small number of Specialists who dodged the attack.

"Show yourself you coward!" from the shadows of the forest,Axilles came out,along with a small force of Grunt Soldiers(1) accompanying him. "Coward am I ?Let me introduce you to a whole new world of pain!" Axilles tried rushing the ill-prepared rookies but an Energy Dagger hit the front of his armor, "I wouldn't be so confident if I were you!" Rylon fell from the sky,wielding his massive curved broadsword which crashed onto Axilles' equally massive mace before they fell back away from the force of the attack.

Reforming their battle stances,they glared at each other, "So you must be the mighty general of this assault on Red Fountain." Axilles lowered his mace as he started laughing, "Ahahahaha!You're right!I,General Axilles am going to crush this pathetic school into the ground!" Rylon smirked at this _'This oaf's is easily excited,I may use this to my advantage' _"Yeah!You're also the most excitable person I ever met in my life too." this angered the enemy general. "What!That's it!You've made me mad!Grunts!Attack!"

Rylon just smirked as he put his hand in front of his lips and whistled, "Alright ladies!Time to do your stuff!" at that moment,several fairies flew in and started blasting the Grunt Soldiers who had to retreat from the blasts of magic, "Let's play fair shall we,you lose you get the heck out of here but if you win,I'll pull the fairies from this fight to make it a fairer fight." Axilles just nodded as he readied his mace for one-on-one combat. "Let's go!" the both of them shouted as they charged each other.

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Grunt Soldiers:A combination of the undead and the Army of Decay as the basic skeletal structure while the Larvaes covered them and mold into a stronger version of the Beast Troopers but they are just as easy to take down as the regular Beast Troopers.

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(70 S.D,Bachtain University,Holo-Deck)

Since the Holo-deck was the only place in the school big enough to hold the party,the hologram system was programmed to simulate the atmosphere of each song played out,Sophia laughed as she ran into the room as it started a song that she liked and coincidentally,Fayt was the DJ as he wore a black leather jacket with a fur collar and black leather pants that had two belts,forming a cross at the waist,he had dyed his hair brown and had a fake scar across his face.

"Fayt ? What are you dressed as ?" Fayt just took out something that looked like a cross between a revolver and a sword, "I'm Squall Lionhart,a powerful Gunblade Specialist and for tonight,I'm the school DJ. Any requests ?" Thomas nodded as he took out a disk and handed it to Fayt, "Yes and please play it after this song is finished,I need to see someone about a costume." Fayt took the disk and raised an eyebrow at the name of the song, "Whatever you say Thomas but I gotta say,this will be an interesting night." Fayt chuckled as he started working on the setting of the next song.

Thomas had rushed out of the room,only to bump into someone wearing awhite trench-coat with a blue shirt that has a cross insignia and a pair of khaki pants,the person also had a fake scar on his face, "Um,excuse me but who are you ?" the person laughed a bit as he took out a Gunblade similar to Fayt's, "The name's Seifer Almasy Gunblade Specialist...Just kidding,the name's Rolph Johnson but you can just call me Johnson. I gotta go now,my co-DJ might need a little help."  
Johnson waved goodbye as he ran into the holo-deck,Thomas had already run off by then.

Thomas sighed as he tapped his foot several times, "Come on,come on,where are you ?" "Right here guv'ner." the taxi driver from earlier walked up to him, "Cut the act James,no one's here." James Rosen smirked as he waved his hand and the driver's clothes were replaced with a tuxedo similar to Thomas',he gave Thomas a small chip, "Here you go Thomas,just be glad that I took the trouble to scan through those catalogs."

Inserting the chip into his shirt pocket,his tuxedo turned back into his regular clothes, "Thanks,I'm glad that my clothes can change,now then..." he snapped his fingers,but the change of clothes weren't the ones he wanted so snapped his fingers again and again until he smiled, "Thanks James,I have to go now....care to join the dance ?" James shook his head as he pointed up to a hover-limo and a rope-ladder dropped down, "No thanks,I got my own party to get to,have fun and go get them tiger." Thomas nodded as he slipped in on white mask.

Meanwhile,Sophia had just danced through a whole song but nobody asked her to dance with them but she was fine with it as she sat down on a seat in the corner of the room. Bored that nobody had asked her,she groaned as she saw everyone else dancing but she noticed someone put a white gloved hand before her, "Care to dance ?" Sophia stared at the mysterious but handsome stranger who is offering to dance with her,the man was wearing an outfit that made him look like a prince from one of her favorite fairy tales,he even had a gold crown on but his face was hidden by an ivory-colored mask that hid his identity but he was quite dashing,even with the mask on,a song started as the scenery changed from that of a disco club to that of a Victorian-styled Ballroom.

"Alright!This are your DJ s Seifer Almasy and Squall Lionhart proud to play a song requested by our mystery guest! Give it up for T.L!" a spotlight shined on the mystery man, "Well my dear ?" Sophia was hesitant but accepted his hand and a fanfare of music started,trumpets and bugles were blaring,cymbals clashed at intervals,violins playing softly and rising in volume and many other instruments were played as holograms of them floated about near the DJ Platform.

_Masquerade!  
Paper faces on parade...  
Masquerade!  
Hide your face,  
So the world will never find you!_

T.L danced with Sophia as she nervously her hand was on his shoulder while the other was in his hands,T.L's other hand was around her waist as they danced to the tune of the music, "Are you alright miss,we can stop if you wish." Sophia shook her head and spoke softly, "No,I'm alright,it's just that I wanted to dance with someone else,a friend of mine but he's not even here..." T.L knew who Sophia was talking about but decided to play along, "Don't you fret,I believe that your friend is just fine." Sophia was comforted by this and continued to dance.

_Masquerade!  
Every face a different shade...  
Masquerade!  
Look around-there's another mask behind you!_

_Flash of mauve...  
Splash of puce...  
Fool and king...  
Ghoul and goose...  
Green and black...  
Queen and priest...  
Trace of rouge...  
Face of beast...  
_

While the dance went on,Tyson,the school bully was dressed in biker clothes was looking intently on Sophia as she danced with the mysterious guest,he glared at the man as he crumpled his plastic cup, _'She's suppose to be mine!' _he growled as he gathered the members of his group.

_Faces...  
Take your turn,take a ride  
On the merry-go-round...  
In an inhumane race..._

_Eye of gold...  
Thigh of blue...  
True is false...  
Who is who...?  
Curl of lip...  
Swirl of gown...  
Ace of hearts...  
Face of clowns..._

_Faces...  
Drink it in,drink it up,  
Till you've drown  
In the light...  
In the sound..._

_But who can name the face...?_

T.L smirked as he twirled Sophia around as her skirt swirled around her legs,before pulling her back to his side,the pink mask on her face only accentuated her emerald-green eyes and Sophia peered into his blue irises _'Where have I seen those eyes before ?'_ Sophia wondered as they moved as if they had choreographed the moves for months as they danced like professionals. _'Glad that father made me took dance classes in the third grade'_

_Masquerade!  
Seething shadows  
Breathing lies...  
Masquerade!  
You can fool any friend  
Who ever knew you!  
_

_Masquerade!  
Leering satyrs,  
Peering eyes...  
Masquerade!  
Run and hide-  
But a face will still pursue you_

_What a night!What a crowd!  
Makes you glad!  
Makes you proud!  
All the crème de la crème!_

_Watching us watching them!  
And all our fears in the past!_

Sophia by then had calmed down and enjoyed T.L's company as they laughed and danced in the simulated Ballroom,Fayt smiled at their happiness _'Hope you enjoy this night together,it's one of the many to come' _Fayt felt some one tap his shoulder,it was a girl wearing a beautiful blue gown and she had a simple but elegant mask on her face as her obviously dyed black framed her face. "Umm,care to dance with me ?" Johnson nudged his friend's shoulder, "Go on,I'll cover for ya." Fayt thanked his friend as he took the girl's hand, "May I know who I'm going to dance with ?" the girl was a bit hesitant but gave him a familiar name, "Call me Rinoa."

Fayt took her hand as he introduced himself, "My name's Fayt. Well Rinoa,let's dance to our heart's content." 'Rinoa' smiled a bit as she nodded before they went to the dance floor. While they did this,Tyson had already gathered a number of his 'friends'  
and they were ready to carry out his orders, "What's your order boss ?" Tyson just became angrier as Sophia danced with the mystery guest, "Nothing yet but here's my plan...." they huddled around him as he discussed the plan.

_Six months!  
Of relief  
Of delight  
Of Elysian Peace_

_And we can breathe at last!  
No more notes!  
No more ghosts!  
Here's a health!_

_And here's a toast:  
To a prosperous year!  
To the new chandelier!  
And may it's splendor never fade!_

_Six months!  
What a joy!  
What a change!  
What a blessed release!_

_And what a Masquerade!!_

With that,the song was over with Sophia wrapped in T.L's arms,both were breathless from the dancing but they were too happy to care, "Thank you..." Sophia was happy that someone had asked her to dance with them but there was a nagging feeling that she knows T.L quite well, "Well then,shall I get you a drink before the next song starts ?" Sophia nodded before T.L walked off to the refreshment table but when,he was out of sight,a leather-gloved hand covered her mouth before she could scream as she was suddenly taken away by unknown assailants,making her tiara drop to the floor.

The room changed to a more outdoor appearance of an open clearing under the full moonlight,the next song started as 'Rinoa' thanked Fayt for the wonderful dance as her 'watch' suddenly started beeping as she had to leave but when Fayt went through the door,she was nowhere in sight but a small beam of light was fading away but he didn't notice it as he went back into the room.

(Space,Cutter)

"Phew!That was close but why did I take all that risk for just a dance ?" Maria then remembered what a wonderful time she had with Fayt,she smiled dreamily but Lieber's face appearing on the screen ruined it, "Miss Maria!You have to come back immediately!The crew is starting to wake up!" Maria sighed as she turned the connection off and set the Cutter to go into Gravitic Warp.

(Bachtain University,Holo-deck)

_In the land of twilight,Under the moon  
We dance for the idiots  
Ring-around-the-roses,Jump to the moon  
We sing with the castanets_

Thomas who had briefly took off his mask to wipe off the sweat he accumulated from the dancing and put it back on to be T.L again before anyone saw him. He walked to the spot where he was suppose to give Sophia her drink but instead of finding her,he found her tiara on the floor...

_In the land of twilight,Under the moon  
We dance for the idiots  
Ring-around-the-roses,Jump to the moon  
We sing with the castanets_

Thomas dropped the two cups of juice as it spilled onto the floor but no one was there to slip on it,he picked up the tiara and slipped it into his clothes before dashing out into the hallways to look for Sophia.

_I will sing for crescent moon  
Dancing with the castanets  
As the end will come so soon  
In the land of twilight_

Thomas was getting frustrated as the Red Star Shard in his pocket glowed a bit, "Where are you!Miss Sophia!" he continued running about aimlessly as he kept calling out to Sophia

_I will sing for crescent moon  
Dancing with the castanets  
As the end will come so soon  
In the land of twilight_

Sophia was being held against her will as her hands and feet were tied up. Tyson leered at her struggling form, "You're mine,you hear me!I'll have you all to myself as my girlfriend..." Tyson moved in to forcefully kiss Sophia but she kicked him in the groin,since her legs were tied up and she was wearing high-heeled shoes,it hurt..a lot!

_Now you are watching us outside the circle  
Wanna be in the company  
Boy,but you are lonely  
Dance with nobody  
Run away child,to your hiding place_

"Why you damn stupid bitch!I'll get you for this!" Tyson took out a small cylindrical device which was actually a Laser Weapon and a dagger was created from this,Sophia screamed as Tyson got closer and closer to her.

_High and loud,the sounds of your bell of twilight...ringing..  
All alone,it rings and echoes in the twilight_

Thomas had heard Sophia's scream for help, "Sophia!" he ran towards the source of the screams and came face to face with a bunch of Tyson's gang members who were holding metal staffs and one of them was carrying a handgun, "You know what Tyson said!Get him!" they moved towards Thomas,ready to attack from several directions,the Astral Blade materialized into his hands, "You people have made me angry,so move or you'll be hurt!" but the gangsters just ignored him as they rushed him

_In the land of twilight,Under the moon  
We dance for the idiots  
Ring-around-the-roses,Jump to the moon  
We sing with the castanets_

The doors to the gym burst open as the door was demolished,Thomas was standing on top of an unconscious member of Tyson's gang and the rest were behind him,groaning about pains in their bodies as Thomas had used the flat end of the Astral Blade to defeat the delinquent students. He stepped over the knocked out delinquents as they groaned about the pain.

"Get away from Miss Sophia....Now!!" Tyson didn't pay any mind to Thomas' shout as he stepped away from Sophia who had fallen unconscious from the shock of fear, "You want me to leave my girl alone,fat chance!" he then turned the dagger into a stun rifle which he used to fire on Thomas who evaded as he used the Astral Blade to defend against shots that he couldn't dodge. "Damn it!Get away from her now!" Tyson ignored his words as he moved closer to Sophia and lifted up her face as he decided to licked her cheek but before he could do so,he felt a strong pain in his left shoulder as he saw the Astral Blade pierced through the arm sockets but no a single drop of blood was spilled, "H-h-How?" Tyson uttered as he dropped the de-activated Laser Weapon.

Thomas' appearance has changed to a more deadly serious look as he was emitting a silver aura and began speaking in a booming voice, "You have caused fear throughout this academy that I can tolerate but you have crossed the line when you tried to force a one-sided feeling to an unwilling girl,though I will spare you your life. Punishment must be given,...Let Justice be done!" he twisted the Astral Blade as the sword's magic caused the spiritual harm to Tyson's body was so intense that he instantly collapsed but the pain was gone just as quickly as it came but a burning sensation was left on his limp shoulder as he no longer has any feeling in it. "What did you do to me ?"

'Thomas' only glared at Tyson, "I have rendered your arm useless,it'll remain that way until you've learned your lesson." he then returned to normal but the glare was still there, "Understood." Tyson nodded meekly as he ran off before his gang woke up and ran off as well,fearing that they'll receive more physical punishment from the Astral Blade's keeper. Thomas looked softly at Sophia as she also woke up,Thomas removed the ropes that had tied her up, "Are you alright Miss Sophia ?" Sophia was trembling as she started crying in his arms. "It's alright,everything is going to be alright...." Thomas comforted her as he patted the small of her back.

_High and loud,the sounds of your bell of twilight...ringing  
All alone,it rings and echoes in the twilight..._

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(Spirit Realm,Elemental Region)

The Spirit Realm is more than on big place,it's actually split into different regions with the elements protecting the main Spirit Realm and Argus was in the domain of the Water Elemental,Undine who standing over Argus, "Arise Keeper of the Flame,the trial of the Water Elemental is beginning."

Argus groaned as he got up,he then noticed that he wasn't wearing his royal garbs anymore,he was wearing his Red Fountain civilian outfit but it was totally different as it had more qualities of a battle-suit than a civilian outfit,his blazer had been emblazoned with designs of the Dragon Fire upon them as well as the rest of his outer clothes,the only thing that wasn't covered with symbols or emblems was his white undershirt where his pendant was hidden in,he also found out that he was wearing a pair of red fingerless gloves

"What do you mean trial of the Water Elementals is beginning." the female Elemental sighed as she stretched out her hand as a trident appeared in her hand, "It means,that you'll have to face me in pitched combat and see if you're worthy to be my master." Undine went into a fluid battle stance while Argus took out his longsword that was strapped to a scabbard by his side,  
Argus took his own stance before Undine started the battle with a yell _Surging Waves!_ A large surge of water appeared out of nowhere and went for Argus, _'I'm suppose to fight that!'_ Argus gulped as he saw the large body of water coming for him.

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Author's note:This is my longest chapter up to date and I'm quite satisfied with it but that's my opinion,tell me yours in your reviews.

Today's WiVo:  
I'm going to make Argus use the weapons that Efreet had given to him and I'm thinking up names for them but you the readers can make your own suggestions.  
Efreet had given Argus these equipment:  
A sword  
A shield  
A staff

Have fun thinking up the names. Oh!And thanks to Anesha and Shinryu for the wonderful reviews.  
This is Argus456 signing off.


	23. Chapter 22

Author's notes:I don't know why my previous readers Elina and Ten-Wings don't review my story anymore but I'm just being selfish for wanting reviews for every chapter besides,I still have my other readers so I'll just start this one.  
p.s:Sorry for being so late about my chapter,school kept me busy and my computer started acting up but it's fixed now!Yay!

p.s.s:Since not many people applied to be a pilot yet,I guess I'll have to imagine up a few more characters or just be lazy and copy gundam characters.

Disclaimer:I don't own anything related to Winx Club,Star Ocean and any other crossovers in the story,they belong to their respective owners but I do own most of the Ocs and plot line.

* * *

(Spirit Realm,Elemental Region of Water)

_'Surging Waves!'_ Argus gulped as he prepared himself for the impact of the attack but felt nothing as he heard the sound of hissing steam,he opened his eyes to see Efreet using his own body to protect him, "Undine!Using an elemental attack on him is too extreme a method for a trial,explain yourself!" Undine lowered her trident.

"I'm doing this so as to teach him a lesson after he had broken that young girl's heart!" Argus then suddenly remembered what had happened before he started his rampage,he remembered seeing Reina running away from him,her eyes in tears. Argus dropped his longsword as he went to his knees,he then punched the ground,ignoring the pain that the impact induced.

"See!He's clearly admitting that he'd broken her heart and I'm here to teach him a lesson!..." Undine went back into her battle stance, "Now out of my way!He deserves this! _'Aqua Sphere!' _" A large ball of water appeared in her hands as she held it in her hands, "Now get out of the way Efreet." the Fire Elemental took out his sword as it started blazing with fire, "No,you are misguided!I must knock some sense into you, _'Burning Break!'_" Efreet slashed his sword as a wave of fire went towards Undine who just blocked it with her trident. The two Elementals started fighting while Argus was still trying to remember what happened when he wasn't in control during his rampage.

_'What happened,all I remember is Reina collapsing beside me...then nothing...'_ Then he saw Efreet thrown several feet away by Undine's attack before a dome of water covered him,trapping him inside as well as keeping him from interfering. Argus looked up blankly at Undine who then unexpectedly dismissed her trident and slapped Argus' face where Reina had slapped earlier but the stinging pain was worse since Undine had gauntlets and Argus immediately became angry.

"Why did you do that for!" Undine went into a cocky pose,and was smiling underneath her helmet as she crossed her arms, "Well then,now that I've knocked you back to your senses. Let me ask you this: Do you truly love Reina ?" Argus nodded without hesitation, "Yes!Of course I do,with all my heart and soul." Undine continued asking questions while Efreet was forced to sit in the dome of fire-dousing water,watching the scene before him, "But what about your royal duties as the Crown Prince of Eraklion,what about your engagement ?" Argus turned his face away from the Water Elemental before answering, "I don't care!My twin brother Allen can take my place for all I care!...all I want is to be with Reina..."

"Good answers. Now then,let the real trial begin and I'm not going to hold back!" Undine retrieved her trident and went into her stance waiting for Argus to get into his own stance but unfortunately,his longsword was destroyed when it was hit by a stray fireball. "Err...I have no weapon..." Undine let out an exasperated sigh, "You do have the weapons that Efreet have given to you didn't you ? Just concentrate and they'll come to you."

Argus touched the pendant as it glowed like usual and a sword appeared in his hand,the sword was different from the last time he saw Efreet wielding it. It now had a more refined blade as the sword tip was more pointed like an arrowhead and the hand guard looked like the legendary Phoenix,the name of the weapon went through his mind _'Phoenix Blade'_ Argus went into a stance to suit the weight of the newly acquired weapon and in his mind,more secrets of the Fire Arts are unlocked,Argus smirked at the Water Elemental. "Let the trial...Begin!" they charged at each other all the while Efreet was still encased in the dome of water as he grumbled something about unpredictable women.

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(Diplo II,Medical Bay)

"Ughh..." Jake got up from the floor as he re-adjusted his uniform as he tried to smooth out his frazzled hair,as well as rubbing off the kiss-marks on his face, "Note to self:Demote Zeke once I find him." Jake said as he examined the vial that had previously contained the Pheromone Potion as he discarded the item. He looked at Cecille who was asleep,she had a happy smile on her face,considering that she spent a long time kissing him and it had almost turned into something more intimate but luckily for Jake,he had managed to press a pressure point that caused her to fall asleep before it had gotten out of hand.

"Better get her into a proper bed..." but he noticed that the only two comfortable beds in the room were in disarray and he wasn't in the mood to play butler so he carried Cecille out of the door and intended to go to her room but he had no idea where it was so he started wandering around the ship,hoping to find her room before anyone saw him but luck wasn't on his side as he walked into the cafeteria,thinking that no one would be here but he was wrong...

"Alright folks!This memory disc holds photos of our illustrious Commander Jacob Cain having an intimate kiss with the ship's own medic officer,Miss Cecille Sanders!The bid starts at seven thousand Fol!" several bids from the people present were voiced loudly but Jake's voice was even louder, "What is the meaning of this!!!!" the crowd tried to look innocent but they were caught red-handed, "You too Mr Idonis." Zeke had tried sneaking off with the money he had gotten from the 'auction',Zeke gulped as he pathetically tried hiding the money behind him, "Return the money and pass all the items that you were auctioning to me,understood.."

But before he could continue his tirade,he had remembered that he was still carrying Cecille in his arms and fact that the pressure point's effect was wearing off, "Alright,everyone out,now!" the crew was happy to oblige as they walked off and Zeke tried to do so as well, "Remember your orders Private Idonis,put the items in my room." the Tetrageniot sighed as he reluctantly obeyed as he promptly handed back the money as he took back the items, _'I could've retired early back to Tetragenes with all that money,...guess I'll have to be more careful next time'_ he smiled a bit as another idea for a scheme was being planned out in his mind.

"Hi there Jakey..." Cecille drawled before clutching her head, "Ow!Ow!Ow!My head feels like it's been hit by a champagne bottle,it's hurting like heck." Jake chuckled at this as he went behind the counter and made a mix of orange juice,coffee and a bit of water to cover up the taste, "Here you go Cecille,this should lessen the pain in your head but be careful,it's-" Cecille took the glass and gulped the entire contents down in seconds before going into a coughing fit, "bitter..."

They were at the observation deck where the stars of space could be viewed,Cecille had been given a glass of water and some time to let the headache and the bitterness in her tongue settle down, "Where did you learn that drink from ?" Jake thought for a moment, "I guess living with a uncle who has a collection of vintage wine in the basement,you learn to make methods of getting him sober or getting rid of a hangover faster." Cecille nodded as she sat beside Jake, "Can I ask you a question ?" Jake nodded to this,as he knew what the question was.

"Do you remember the day when I first met you ?" Jake nodded as a slight smile appeared on his face, "Yeah,we were in Kindergarten and you were alone back then but I wanted to play with you...a game of tag wasn't it ?" Cecille smiled at this,happy that her 'long-lost friend' had 'returned' from the abyss that is depression, "I guess you finally figured it out...so Jake...I want...to...um..." Cecille was at lost for words as their eyes met,her golden eyes,the light to the dark abyss that is his eyes,they moved closer to each other as their lips were about to meet...

"Hey Jake,Kevin wanted me to give you a message and this report...I didn't interrupt anything did I ? apparently,Zeke had a run in with Kevin who wanted him to pass a message to Jake since his own communicator was missing. The two separated with their faces blushing a deep shade of red.

"What is it Zeke ?" Zeke looked at Jake as if he's gone crazy, "What ?" "You just called me by my first name in a friendly voice!My buddy's back!" Zeke tried to hug Jake but his friend punched him on the head, "Watcha' did that for!" Jake stared at him, "That was for trying to hug me!You know that I hate them when you do it...by the way,what was the message ?" Zeke was rubbing the back of his head as he handed Jake the report before answering, "Yeah,he said that a colony classed vessel was spotted on the ship's scanners,he asks what are your orders ?"

"Simple,send a tracker drone but since Lieutenant Stromwell could be anywhere by now so...I'll do it myself." Jake took out his communicator,it was like a remote to the Diplo II which was very useful if he needed something done when nobody's around to do it properly or if he wants to check on his crew,after a few commands,the trio saw a small pod that contained the drone launched towards it's destination.

"Now then,shall we continue talking about our childhood ?" Jake's tone was quite cheerful,a contrast to his previously cold one which was a welcome sight to his friends. "By the way Jake,you weren't serious when you demoted me,were you ?"

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(Earth,Pentagon)

All the while the events on the outer reaches of space had happened,most of Earth remains oblivious except for a few individuals like General Wincott,a man who had a stature and position equal to Wilde,he had intercepted a transmission from the 15th Spaceport before it's communication was severed.

General Wincott was in the meeting room along with a few other highly ranked officers,including Major Stevens who were jealous of General Wilde along with a few other officers who were listening to the recorded message as the distorted image of what looked like a pilot of the spaceport defense forces as he was frantically transmitting the message:

'Emergency!This Pilot Ivan Hans...'static'...the...'static' undam Units!We are under attack!The...'static'...nemy is sus-'static'-ted to be Brigadier Gene-...'static'...Schilli-'static'...Requesting Reinforcement!I repe-'static'..." the image was filled with static before the sounds of an explosion and the message ended. The room was illuminated again before the small group of men started muttering and talking about what had happened.

"That message must be a fake!The chances of Schilling being alive is impossible!"

"He's right!It must be a hoax!"

"But the message was quite real and the pilot was one of the most trusted men in the Federation."

"We know this but it couldn't be Schilling who attacked the station,it must've been another one of those Stinger Factions that did it!"

"What about the G Units!They were stationed at the station!"

"Who cares about them,we can rebuild but what about the civilians and soldiers stationed there!

Major Stevens was getting frustrated by all the yelling so he tried yelling himself but General Wincott beat him to it, "Silence!" The room fell silent as his voice echoed in the large chamber.

"Whether Schilling was the one who attacked the station or not is irrelevant!Regardless,we must send in a fleet of cruisers to investigate and if needed,eliminate the ones who attacked the spaceport." the small council started murmuring again.

"What about the President ?"

"Yes,shouldn't we inform him of this information ?"

General Wincott nodded at this, "Yes we should but the President's sentiments of peace will get in the way,we must prepare a fleet secretly and launch it from the 14th Federation Station,if we're lucky,they'll encounter the enemy fleet and defeat them."  
A few of the officers were slightly scared of the drastic plan of action that the general had given and since he was the highest ranking person in the room,there was hardly anyone to oppose this plan so they did the only thing they could:Agree.

"I Major Stevens,on behalf of the officers here agree to your decision,who here objects to this ?"Only silence was their reply as they nodded in agreement with a little reluctance,Wincott smiled at this but nobody noticed this as they were too immersed in their shame to do so.

"Alright gentlemen!Let's lay out the plans to dispatch these rebels!" the officers then started discussing the ways to carry out this plan while General Wincott just sat back and relaxed while Major Stevens just watched all this,not realizing what their actions could do to the Federation.

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(Spirit Realm,Dragon Fire Castle)

Daphne had sensed that Reina was here and she was right when she saw Riven and Musa coming into the throne room with Reina sleeping while Riven carried her, "Daphne,we need some help for this girl,she appears to be from the mortal realm." Daphne immediately went to Reina's side as she used a small shock spell to wake Reina up.

"Yeowch!That stings!" Reina jumped out of Riven's arms as she covered her nose where the shock was administered but after a while,she noticed that she was no longer in the manor on the Royal Grace but in an unfamiliar throne room and three familiar people were looking at her strangely.

"Uh hi?" the three replied in the same brief words, "Hi." Musa stood in front of Reina before shaking hands with the confused girl, "I'm Musa,the guy with the scary sneer behind me is my husband and the lady beside him is-" Reina then recognized the famous Nymph, "It's Daphne the Nymph!" Reina knew about her as she had read many books about her.

"I see my celebrity status back in the mortal realm hasn't faded yet." Reina quickly calmed down when she realized that the famous nymph in front of her is suppose to be dead and the other two were part of her history books,two thousand years back so the first question that came out of her mouth was: "Am I dead ?"

"Nope but if we don't find a way to send you back,you're going to be stuck here." Riven blurted out rather bluntly but his foot was stepped on by Musa to shut him up, "Don't worry about what he said,we'll send you back to the mortal realm in a jiffy. Right Daph ?" Daphne sighed at this while Riven was hopping on one leg while nursing the other that was stepped on.

"Don't call me Daph,it doesn't sounds right and as for the matter of getting you back home,it'll take a while to prepare the right spell but it can be done,just explore the castle if you wish,I'll have a recent friend of Bloom's prepare the spell while I show you around." she clapped her hands together and a middle aged man entered the room,he was wearing a lab coat with a set of casual clothes underneath,he carried a clipboard in his hands,it was Robert Leingod,the late father of Fayt Leingod. "Robert,please prepare a Spiritual Transportation Arcana Rune would you? She needs to go back to the mortal realm."

Of course Daphne,I'll have the mages prepare one,it should be ready in an hour." Daphne nodded before she escorted her 'guests' out of the throne room and into the hallways,Robert sighed as he flipped to the end of the clipboard and took out a photo of his family,Bloom was kind enough to create a copy for him as he started his way back to his 'lab' while reminiscing about his family but a nagging feeling at back of his mind told him that someone close to him was in danger.

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(Red Fountain,Rylon's Fight With Axilles)

The two warriors were currently glaring at each other as their weapons were locked together in place,each of them exerting their strength in order to overpower the other. Their respective forces were watching the fight as well as their enemy in case they went out of line.

The two combatants seemed to be equal in strength so Rylon tried another approach,he instantly pushed his weapons much harder towards Axilles who then countered with his own push but his opponent pulled back at the last moment,causing Axilles to stumble a little forward but regained his balance at the last minute but this little slip-up made the Specialists and Fairies laugh a bit,he was fortunate that his Grunt Soldiers were mindless beasts of darkness.

Rylon took this opportunity to attack Axilles but the General swung his mace which blocked the attack before going back on the offensive, "Take this!Bludgeon Quake!" Axilles collected a large amount of power into his mace before he slammed it into the earth,creating a small but powerful quake which made Rylon fall flat on his back,Axilles smirked at this as he released his hold on his mace before he went into a martial fighting stance with his feet set apart,positioned firmly on the ground and his arms were in a firm steadfast pose, "Care for some more dirt in yer face!" he stomped the earth with a powerful stomp,forcing a huge slab of earth to rise into the air,Axilles smirked as Rylon just stood there,trying to get the dust out of his eyes.

Axilles was somehow controlling the slab of earth as it floated there but it didn't do so any longer before he took back his mace as he used it like a bat and launched the slab of earth right at Rylon but he quickly dodged to the left and threw an energy dagger at Axilles but the General stomped his foot into the ground which caused a wall of solid earth to rise and protect him. "What in the name of Magix!" Rylon stared slack-jawed as Axilles manipulated the earthen wall to the shape of a giant spike that was launched at him.

Thinking fast,Rylon used his sword to cut the spike in half, "Geokinesis(think Earthbending) eh,this is going to be fun!" Rylon smirked before he charged towards the enemy General. Axilles smirked as he slammed his fist into the ground,making a boulder from the earth and launched it at Rylon who barely dodged the projectile,this went on for quite some time as the Fairies and Specialists cheered for Rylon while the Grunt Soldiers roared as they continuously pumped their claws into the air,a possible interpretation of a cheer for their General.

Rylon eventually reached within two feet of Axilles' armored form but he put up a barricade of earth which the Specialist Instructor cut away and with blinding speed,used a pressure point technique on his opponent,robbing him of his power over earth, "Did you think I would lose to you." with that Rylon tackled Axilles,forcing him to fall back meaning that he had lost the duel as well as his mace as it laid on the ground beside Rylon. "Now!As for the deal,go back to where you came from...or do you want to brawl it out some more ?"

This ticked off Axilles more than anything but he was unarmed and his powers were useless for the time being so he couldn't fight but his soldiers can, "Alright but I'm leaving you a gift before I go...Grunts!Attack!" the malformed beasts charged while their General retreated into a portal of darkness,letting the Rookie Specialists and their backup team of Fairies take care of them while Rylon decided to speak to Saladin about the situation.

(Meanwhile,Third Defense Corp)

The twenty Specialists who were under the command of Fayt and his companions were firing their blasters and Energy Bows as several bursts of energy damaged the enemy soldiers but also taking care not to hit their Squad Leaders who were successfully holding off the massive Army of Decay.

Cliff had summoned a sphere of energy that blew up any enemy units that got too close to him, "Heh!These guys are wimps compared to the real Federation. _Hammer of Might!_" he charged a concentration of energy and slammed it into a cluster of Beast Troopers,destroying the majority of them while the others fell victim to Cliff's barrage of punches and kicks.

Izak looked like the infamous Grim Reaper with his Beam Scythe as he twirled it around and with his android strength,it created a small tornado that drew in several Beast Troopers and a number of Juggernauts before he destroyed them with one swing of the Beam Scythe, "That was exhilarating!" he cheered as he hefted the large weapon back onto his shoulders as he ran towards the next group of enemies.

Albel was still getting used to the comforting feel of wielding the Crimson Pride as he slashed through the ranks of a squadron of Beast Troopers,he saw a Beast Trooper trying to attack him from behind but he deployed his Cyber Claws as they literally tore the head off the body as it collapsed to the ground before bursting into a pile of Decay Larvae,he then felt a new power growing inside him which he had to release,he then stopped and raised the Crimson Pride into the air before shouting out _Dragon Rider!_"

A dark portal in the sky opened up as a dragon made up of dark energy shrouding it's true form came out of it,it flew down beside Albel as it nuzzled it's 'head' against Albel's arm,he then jumped onto the dragon's back before it charged through a large cluster of Juggernauts,the dragon spread out it's wings as they sliced each and every one of the Juggernauts while Albel cut down any that had escaped their destruction. When the cluster of Army of Decay was no more,Albel jumped off the dragon and patted it on it's head before it flew into another portal,back to it's own realm, "Thank you...father." Albel whispered before he charged towards another cluster of Juggernauts.

Fayt was currently fighting off a large group of Beast Troopers that were supported by the Fake Federation Troopers as they fired from their rifles but Fayt was quite used to attacks from afar as he dodged most of them while his Ablative Shield created invisible energy fields to deflect the ones that Fayt couldn't evade. The moment he was within three feet of the regiment,he immediately concentrated his energy before jumping high into the air,the Levantine raised high behind him and shouted out one of his attacks: _Air Raid!_" A barrage of pure energy rained upon the regiment as Fayt slashed the Levantine downwards and when he had finished the attack,all that was left were piles of burnt and pummeled Decay Larvae.

Fayt soon saw that the Army of Decay were now regrouping as everyone of them were gathering in a single area,even the Decay Larvaes that had survived the barrage were creeping towards the remaining Army of Decay,the Larvaes forming new Beast Troopers and Juggernauts to replace the ones that had been destroyed in battle. The remainder of the first to fourth defense corps gathered up together in order to be more prepared for the imminent assault by the Army of Decay.

Fayt and the others were preparing themselves for this assault as they each gulped down the contents of a Physical Enhancer to restore their stamina as well as heal their wounds as the scars and bruises that they had 'obtained' from a few mishaps when some Decay Larvae or some other creature managed to get at them when they had temporarily let their guard down. Nevertheless,defeating that many enemies with such a small force and with little to no injuries was an astounding feat in itself.

Unexpectedly,several portals of darkness appeared around them before more of the Army of Decay came out of them and their forces outnumbered the Specialists' fighting force by 10 to 1 and Fayt knew when to fight in battles and when to retreat from them and this was definitely time for the latter, "Retreat!!" with that,the Specialists formed into a square formation with the melee fighters in front while the Sages and Archers stayed in the center with Fayt and Cliff,the other two were part of the melee line as their weapons are more versatile and can be used on the run while they retreated.

"Damn it!It's times like this when I wish we had the others with us to help!" Cliff swore as he used his Ablative Shield to deflect a rifle shot from an enemy soldier. Fayt nodded as he took out the communicator that Saladin had given to him for contacting the other Specialists and on the other line was the leader of the Fifth Defense Corps.

"I need your forces ready to let in a large number of your people and defend against a massive assault by the Army of Decay!" the Specialist nodded before the connection was cut as Fayt signaled for the formation to speed up in order to escape the horde of enemies behind them. Albel used the Crimson Pride to perform his Double Air Slash Technique as two powerful air waves momentarily stopped their pursuers as it gave them a little bit more of a lead to the Fifth Defense Line.

Fortunately,the Specialists and their leaders had made it to the Fifth Defense Line but Fayt wanted to stay behind and make sure that the stragglers make it back safely,Cliff ran up to Fayt while watching out for the Specialists that were making mad dashes to the safety of the defense line. "Fayt!We gotta move,now!That Army of Decay or whatever is catching up on us!" Fayt nodded as he and Cliff started running but the young swordsman saw a Specialist fall down when he had tripped on a rock,Fayt then turned his direction towards the Specialist, "Cliff!Go ahead!I gotta help someone!" before he could answer,Fayt had already ran to the fallen Specialist.

"Are you all right ?" the Specialist was Daniel,the Specialist Captain who had assisted Argus at Dragon City. "Yeah but my leg's busted,care to help ?" Fayt nodded as he help Daniel up,he knew that there wasn't enough time to heal him with his Symbology as they hobbled as fast as they could but a barrage of laser shots stopped them and Fayt turned around to see a large number of Fake Federation Troopers aiming their weapons at him.

Fayt took out his weapon and Daniel did the same as he took out a pair of blasters as he threw a grenade at the enemy,creating a large explosion, "Go!I'll hold them off!" "I know your a hero-in-training but don't be one right now!" Daniel ignored this and continued firing his blasters,Fayt knew that someone this stubborn won't give way for anything so he went into a side-slashing stance as he held the Levantine behind him and a surge of power surrounded him, "Daniel!Keep firing!I've got an idea!"Daniel nodded while he replaced his recently overheated blasters with a rifle blaster and fired as fast as possible without overheating the weapon to much.

Fayt concentrated his control over his Destruction Genes as he felt the increase in his power,when the concentration of power reached it's peak,Fayt yelled out one of his most notorious attacks in his arsenal,_Dimension Door!_" Fayt was then shrouded in a dark red mist before he vanished much to the surprise of Daniel who had momentarily stopped shooting to see that Fayt was no where in sight until he heard the roar of a Beast Trooper as he resumed firing his rifle at the slowly advancing Army of Decay.

Meanwhile,deep in the heart of the enemy platoon,a surge of power appeared within their ranks as a dark blood mist filled the area before a the sounds of a blade making impact through objects were heard and as the mist fell,Fayt had taken out a good chunk of the enemy forces but he wasn't done yet as he unsheathed the Veinslay and concentrated what was left of the power used in the Dimension Door Technique and teleported to another section of the enemy platoon and wiped out another part of it as he slashed them with both the Levantine and Veinslay,leaving a trail of devastation in their wake as Fayt used every ounce of his energy to fight his way through the oncoming horde of monsters as he deployed his other techniques.

"_Shotgun Blast!_" Fayt created a sphere of energy to surround his fist before he spread the energy in front of him where a large Juggernaut was lumbering,the small spheres exploded with the force of several shotgun shots,tearing the humongous creature into pieces so small that no Decay Larvae could ever be recovered from them. Fayt continued slashing the enemy with his swords until he lost the Veinslay when several Decay Larvae from the remains of a Beast Trooper swarmed the blade and threatened to overpower him so he discarded his second strongest weapon. Fayt quickly took out his Mythril Sword to replace the Veinslay and continued fighting but no matter how strong his fighting spirit was,he won't last much longer since his supply of healing items were still with Izak,he knew that he had to make it back alive and more importantly,back to Maria but the possibility of that happening was bleak as Fayt was suddenly hit in the sides by a lucky strike from a Beast Trooper's claws,creating a deep gash in his sides,forcing him to drop to his knees and fight on.

Cliff had been waiting worriedly for quite a while now but when he saw Daniel being carried in by a pair of Medics and without Fayt with him,he quickly found Izak and Albel,the android was helping out in delivering medical supplies while Albel was standing guard, "Come on you guys!Fayt's in trouble!" Izak quickly passed his crate of Healing Salves to a Sage as he digitized out his Beam Scythe, "I'm ready!Let's go!" Albel just sheathed the Crimson Pride before walking past Cliff, "That maggot can't won't last long out there,better get him out of that mess." Cliff nodded as the three started running to where Fayt was.

The possessor of the Destruction Gene was having trouble fighting off the horde of monsters while using only one hand to hold his Levantine while using the other to hold back the bleeding in his sides but as the fighting continued,the more blood and energy drained was drained from him as he was then struck in his sword hand,forcing him to drop his Levantine,Fayt tried to retrieve his sword but a Juggernaut stood in his way,Fayt weakly lifted the Dragoon Laser but it was kick away as the Juggernaut used it's short but strong legs as it also bent his hand in a painful position as he cried out in pain,the Juggernaut loomed over him,ready to finish him off with a punch.

Fayt lowered his face and said, "Is this it ?...To..die here...and leave Maria as a widow ?..." tears dripped from his eyes as the thought scared him. "Am I going to... leave my child fatherless ?..." his resolve was then strengthened as a new power awakened inside of him,as the Juggernaut launched his attack,the entire area was immediately covered with an incredibly bright light as Fayt screamed.

Cliff,Albel and Izak were rushing towards the spot where Cliff last saw him,"Come on,he's in trouble,I just heard him scream!"  
Izak raced up to beside Cliff, "My sensors are detecting a massive signal of energy,it's much more stronger than Fayt's Ethereal Blast,it's power levels are up to Magnitude 5.5!" Cliff's eyes widened at this since that level of power could easily decimate the school. "Whoever can produce that much power,it must be that maggot!" Albel bounded in front of them as he used his nimble legs to run faster.

When they had reached the place where Fayt was,the trio saw an incredible sight,a lot of the the monsters were clustered around an egg-like sphere of white energy which had a bluish hue surrounding it. Slowly,the Army of Decay and it's Fake Federation soldiers were dissolved before the sphere burst opened,revealing Fayt bathed in light as his Destruction Genes have given him a new power as the light that covered him were in fact armor made from pure energy as angelic wings of energy flapped slowly,as he outstretched his hands before the Levantine appeared in it, _'Birth of the Saint!'_" Fayt declared in two voices as he dived towards the remaining survivors of his birth and cut them down as each swing of the sword created a wave of destructive power that wiped out all the enemy.

As Fayt flew back towards the ground,the armor and the wings with it slowly dissipated as he collapsed onto the dirt with ethereal feathers floating down. Cliff clearly remembered a similar scene that was played out a few years ago on Elicoor II but this time,it was much more magnificent. The trio were the last thing that Fayt saw before the land of slumber had claimed him but the only thing on his mind was the smiling face of Maria Leingod,he smiled as he dreams of his beloved soul mate.

(Tower,Arena Roof)  
While the Specialist routed the remnants of the enemy forces and Saladin watched all this happened as a Decrepit Wyvern swooped in to attack him but he raised his Draconic Staff which sent out a blast of magical energy,destroying it while a number of other wyverns swooped in to kill the aged man but Rylon had made it in time as he deployed several boomerangs that sliced through most of them while Saladin dealt with the rest of them with his magic.

After the last of the wyverns were destroyed,Rylon walked up to Saladin and began tell him about the attack to the rear of the school, "I see,someone with that kind of ability hasn't been seen in the Magix Dimension for centuries..." Rylon nodded in agreement, "Yes,your right but what does this mean ?" Saladin shook his head, "I really don't know Rylon,I really don't know..."

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(Royal Grace,Engine Core)

In the very core of the Royal Grace,the massive engine was situated,the engine looked like a giant hi-tech furnace but instead of fire burning inside it,an abundant number of crystals that produces power for the ship and the four mages that were assigned that day to perform the Dimension Jump were getting prepared for it as they each move their hands in a synchronized manner as four identical runes glowed in their hands before they transferred their energies towards the gigantic engine,initiating the Dimensional Jump to Eraklion.

(Control Room)  
Oliver felt guilty for causing the incident so he went to the control room so as to distract his mind with work,he entered through the metallic door as it automatically slid away to allow entrance into vast room which was used by several crew members. The room was half the size of a warehouse as a platform that held the controls to the system of the Royal Grace and before it were several computers that were arranged with a ramp in the middle (Imagine the Durandal from Xenosaga)

"Have the mages finished their tasks yet ?" Oliver asked the operators as one of them replied, "They have just finished their preparations and have prepared the jump to Eraklion." Oliver nodded in content as he sat down in the seat on the platform as the room flashed for a moment before a panoramic view of space outside the ship,the stars glittered before a large portal opened up in front of them and the Royal Grace entered it.

Soon,the sights of black space was replaced with a long tunnel of dazzling lights as the humongous ship traveled through it swiftly. "How long will it take us to reach Eraklion ?" "A few hours,give or take five or so." Oliver nodded before making his way out.

(Mansion)  
Rosa was still fixing the garden as the damage caused by Argus' 'outburst' had been more destructive than she had thought earlier as she sat back into a newly restored bench as a maid gave her a glass of water, "Your Majesty,shouldn't you leave this to us,your humble servants to do this in your place ?" Rosa gently shook her head and replied calmly, "No...this was my brother's mess and regardless,it is a sibling's job to clean up after them and support each other." the maid nodded at this, "Your Highness truly care for His Majesty,don't you ?"

Rosa understood the servant's remark and blushed a bit and said, "Yeah...I guess I do but tell him this and I'll swear that you'll be doing the toilets for a month without magic." the maid giggled at the half-hearted threat and bowed to Rosa, "Now if you'll excuse me,I have to attend to the needs of Your Majesty's guests."

When the maid left,Rosa took out the book that told the history of the Dragon Fire and it's wielders as she flipped to the pages on Bloom's history,she skipped the parts that were taught in History lessons and found an interesting topic... "First son of Bloom eh..." she then started reading as much as possible before Sera came out and greeted her, "Hey there Rosa." "Oh hi there Sera...did you bring a suitcase or something ?"

Sera was wearing an outfit similar to those of a female Squire as she had on a cotton shirt with a leather chest guard that was adorned with a mantel of silk,she also wore a small skirt on one side and a longer one on the other secured by two belts and underneath the skirt was a pair a jeans made of soft but durable material as a pair of ankle-high leather boots,she also wore her Red Fountain gloves that allowed her access to her weapons,namely,the claws and whip.

"Nope,I bought it at the Tailor shop just outside the manor,glad that the shop had something that suited me...so...how are they ?" Rosa put down her glass as she pointed to one of the nearby windows that had remained intact during the surge of power, "I don't know for sure but Oliver said that they'll be sleeping for a while due to a concussion,by the way...why are your lips missing some lipstick ?" Rosa saw that a few patches of red lipstick was missing. Sera blushed a bit and stuttered out, "I-I...I don't kn-know what your talking about!" but at the wrong time,Trevor came out to the garden with his bandaged limbs as he limped a bit towards the two and he'd forgot to wiped the kiss mark off his cheek as Rosa laughed hysterically at Sera expense as she groaned while trying to hide a blush.

"What's so funny ?" Trevor asked innocently while Rosa kept laughing until it tuned down into a giggle, "Aww!Don't the two of you look cute together ?" Trevor then remembered the kiss mark and quickly rubbed it off while blushing a dark shade of red, "This isn't what it looks like!She just thanked me for protecting her and Reina when the windows shattered!" "Oh...So if you save her from a blast of magic,she might give you one on the lips,is that it ?" Rosa said in such a sly and convincing voice that it made the two teens before her retort in the same words, "That's not it!"

Rosa casually got up from her sitting position and walked away but not before saying, "I was just kidding guys,dinner should be served in a while so get yourselves ready by then." She started whistling the tune for K.i.s.s.i.n.g song which made the two teens blush even more.

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(15th Militia Spaceport,Medical Bay)

During the attack,several facilities were destroyed or at least damaged beyond repair and one of these facilities was the Medical Bay. Although the officers reported that the room's last occupants had probably died in there as the oxygen converters for that area was severely damaged along with the rest of the facility but inside the room,it was fortunately intact but all of the patients there were dead as they laid buried under tons of rubble,all except but one person.

To be more precise,it was a girl named Reika Balfour,she was about 20 years old with long black hair wearing a Federation pilot's uniform and she had a deep gash on her leg,making her immobile for the time being but fortunately,the air in the room was still enough to survive on,stale but breathable.

Reika shouted out for help as she used the only thing available to cut through the rubble,a laser knife that was running low on power and unfortunately,the progress she had made wasn't much but enough as a tiny hole through the piece of steel only showed even more pieces of rubble but it did let in some fresh air,making the situation more tolerable, "Great,I should be able to call for help now..." Reika inhaled as much air as possible for her scream.

(5 minutes Earlier,Just near the corridor where the Medical Bay Was)  
Andrew was being escorted by the officer as Andrew tried to 'grill' him for more info, "So...what exactly was the purpose of the Mobile Suit Project being restarted ?" the officer looked like he hadn't a wink of sleep for quite a while so any questions were immediately answered without hesitation.

"The project was restarted as the activities by the splinter factions have increased,creating chaos in various regions that used to be under the jurisdiction of the Federation like the faction by the name of The Hands of God,a bunch of religious fanatics that had stolen countless technologies from the Federation before hightailing out of the area..."

"And let me guess,part of the technology was the Mobile Suit Project." he meant his words as a statement as the officer nodded but before they could continue their 'talk' a loud scream pierced their ear drums, "HEEELPPPPP!!" and it came from the blocked hallway that lead to the supposedly destroyed Medical Bay. The two were dumbfounded until the sound of something falling in there made them go for help.

(Half an Hour Later)  
A small crew of three soldiers were slowly but surely clearing the rubble as they then saw the last light in the Medical Bay flickered out but the light from the hallway showed Reika unconscious with a small steel pipe laying beside her and by the blood profusely bleeding from her forehead,she was clearly knocked out when the pipe fell on her.

"Get me a Symbologist!Lieutenant Balfour needs a healer now!" one of the soldiers shouted and a symbologist would be the only thing that can save her now since the Medical Bay's equipment were clearly demolished beyond repair and Andrew stepped towards them and concentrated his energy before letting out a healing spell that he had known, "Cure Light!" every person within 30 feet of him was healed and refreshed,including Reika whose wounds closed up as she woke up and wiped the blood away and stood up shakily as her legs were quite numb from staying in the same position for so long.

"Thanks,you're new,I'm Reika Balfour,pilot of the G Unit Nightshade." her awkward greeting was replied with a handshake from Andrew, "You're welcome,I'm Andrew Heinnman,new pilot for one of the G Units." and his decision has been reached as they shook hands.

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(70 S.D,Orbital Spaceport above Earth)

The school year has ended two weeks ago,Tyson and his gang were hated more than ever and were promptly arrested by the police on the charge of carrying weapons without proper licenses and for the intentional act of pedophilia on a minor. When the police took Tyson away,Thomas had noticed his arm was better now but his face was full of regret as he hung his head low. Thomas knew he had repented spiritually,now was time for his physical repentance.

Unfortunately,even though the chances of this happening to Sophia again was nil,the experience traumatized her so her parents had decided that they send her with Thomas for a vacation to ease their nerves and hopefully,Sophia would return back to normal by the end of it. So here they were,at the Spaceport for their flight to a planet called Expel,it was said to be like Earth in the past and it had been known that the planet was populated by various beings of humanoids that knew Symbology.

Her parents chose that Thomas should be the only one accompanying her since she seem to look at any other male that called her by name beside Thomas as Tyson or one of his goons,except for Fayt but he couldn't make it because of personal business. Thomas sighed sadly at Sophia whose face seemed void of emotion as she kept silent while Thomas blamed himself for her traumatized state. He gently put his hand on her shoulder,causing her to flinch. "It's okay Sophia,it's just me...the ship will be leaving in a while" she felt incredibly tense at the moment but relaxed to a degree as her fear still has a strong grip on her fragile psyche.

Despite her being like this,she managed a weak smile for Thomas as she shakily stood up before being gently lead towards the Space-Liner S.S Star of Passion,Thomas raised his eyebrow at the name of the ship but all that mattered at the moment was calming Sophia's nerve but she suddenly screamed in fear and clung to him like a child would to her parents when the captain personally greeted them. '_This might take a while but I'll do whatever it takes to turn my Sophia into her old cheerful self again...wait a minute!Did I call her __**my**_ _Sophia ?...'_ he shook his head as he muttered soothing words into Sophia's ears while gently running his fingers through her hair.

(Sometime Later,Cabin)  
It took some time but the two found their cabin and apparently,Mr and Mrs Esteed had pulled out all the stops as they had entered an incredibly large cabin that was decorated to look like a palatial chamber,complete with thick carpets on the floor and incredibly rich furniture that had a new smell but the only thing that freaked out Thomas was that there was only one bed,a Queen-Sized bed,large but not large enough to sleep apart from each other.

Thomas took out the tickets that Clive Esteed had given to him and looked at the tickets much more closely but while he looked,he prayed that this wasn't their cabin for one whole week but as fate would have it,the tickets were for a Sweetheart Suite(no pun intended) and it stated that they were a couple going for a relaxing vacation. He wanted to scream out a curse word but he wouldn't dare do so in front of Sophia were was still clinging to him as she looked at the room.

He sighed as he looked at her innocent face as she eyed the single bed as she suddenly blushed but Thomas intervened, "I guess I'll take the couch and you'll take the bed." Sophia was reluctant to let go of him since she became quite clingy after that incident, "It's alright,all I'm going to do was go set up the couch." he noticed that it was getting late and dinner should be served in the dinning room but in Sophia's state,going there would haywire her mind even more.

"Get on the bed Sophia,I'll try to whip something up for dinner." he rummaged through his belongings and found his special outfit as he put it on but instead of just creating food from the built-in-Replicator in his coat,he decided to do something else,he pulled out a mobile stove complete with culinary utensils,even an oven and a stove along with a number of ingredients that a kitchen would usually has. "Tonight!My lovely guest!I'm going to show you how to prepare the first dish that my mom first taught me how to prepare...Chicken Cordon Bleu...what,never heard of a French dish before ?" Sophia shook her head and said in a soft voice, "French cuisine was never my specialty so I didn't bothered with them..."

Thomas smiled at her, "It'z alright,cauze you'll definitely love it...Let Chef Thomas show you the delights...and wonders of French Cuisine!" Thomas declared in his best French accent which wasn't good as it sounded somewhat pompous in a nasally way which was intended by Thomas as his plan succeeded when he saw Sophia laugh softly at his funny voice. He then pretended that he was a chef on a cooking show that he found a few days earlier, "Today my dear audience of one,I'll be showing on how to prepare a Chicken Cordon Bleu..." he started by bringing out a chicken and an assortment of other miscellaneous ingredients out of his coat as it produced these items. "We start by preparing the spices and herbs for the chicken..."he continued explaining the process while also doing the handling while Sophia watched in interest at his actions.

(One Hour Later)  
Thomas let out a burp as he excused himself, "Sorry,must've put in too much spices." Sophia surprised him as she also let out a burp that was louder than his. "Sorry,I guess I couldn't hold it in." Thomas smirked as he chuckled to himself, "You remind me so much of a friend I had in the past...come to think of it,her name was Sophie,she was the daughter of one of my father's business partners,we were quite the mischief makers,getting in trouble with the servants at the mansion,she looks a lot like you but..."he then became silent.

Remaining silent,Sophia decided to pry a bit as she looked into his eyes,he sighed deeply, "She accompanied my mother on a trip to France,the trip there was fine and dandy...but the problem was the return trip back home...the train they were on suddenly got derailed...the whole train went up in flames...I only found a small bracelet that I had given to Sophie as a good luck charm but it didn't did her much good,now did it..." he laughed bitterly as he looked at Sophia for a moment before he came back to his senses, "I'm sorry you had to see that part of me...I guess I'll go to the sofa then-" he then felt Sophia's hands wrap around his arm and pulled him back towards the bed.

"I-I don't want to sleep alone tonight..." Sophia said as she was trembling a lot as her fear of being alone set in. Smiling softly, "Yeah,I think we both need the company tonight." he took off his waistcoat and got into the comfy bed as he slept beside Sophia who looked at him,satisfied that he was going to be with her all night,keeping her safe.

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(Elicoor II,Royal Palace of Aquaria)

The Royal Palace of Aquaria remained the same as ever as it's marbled corridors glistened under the constant light casted by the Rune Bulbs.(1) Nel limped slowly as she made her way back to her room as she was covered in cuts that was bleeding as her body ached painfully and all thanks to her foolishness of running into two Proclaimers instead of avoiding them,she had pulled out her daggers as she fought them in a battle in which she was the victor but not before having been o the receiving ends of the Proclaimers attacks and with most of her supplies gone thanks to the fight,she had nothing to restore her health with and her Symbology wasn't much use since her mental strength was now low and was insufficient for healing herself.

Nel slowly opened the door to her room,not wanting to give herself a headache she just placed her daggers on her desk and flopped into her comfy bed as she started snoring,not caring whether or not anybody heard her snore as she suddenly dreamed about the final battle against Luther.

_(Dream,Nel's P.O.V)  
The whole group had been battling Luther for quite sometime already ,the whole group was severely injured as Fayt told Cliff,Maria and Sophia to heal the injured while the rest handled our enemy. I saw that Luther was staggering against our attacks as he lifted his lance,ready for a thrust attack on one of us,and he was aiming at Cliff who was healing Mirage at the moment. I yelled out to him to defend himself but Luther unexpectedly turned his attack on me as he lunged his lance at me but I put my daggers in front of me,knowing that my daggers won't be enough as I prepared myself for the end._

_I suddenly felt someone jump in and pulled me off my feet as I felt the air rushing by me,I opened up my eyes to see Albel the Wicked rescuing me from an attack that could've killed me as I saw the spot where I was standing,split asunder as Luther pulled his lance back out while his hand-like wings flapped with such force that they created waves of power that came towards us._

_I had expected Albel to jump again but there wasn't enough time so he did something unexpected,he used his 'Palm of Doom' technique which somewhat neutralized the attack and held my arm with surprisingly gentle hands as he yelled at me, "Maggot!I need you to help me bring down that worm!" I nodded all the same as I was used to his insults as we rushed Luther while he was distracted with Fayt and Maria._

_'Mirror Slice!' I yelled out as I slashed at Luther relentlessly before I finished my attack and jumped back for Albel's attack, 'Double Air Slash!' his attack tore through Luther's wings as all of our group attacked him at the same time,finishing him off for good._

_Though I couldn't remember much of what had happened after that back there but as I faded away,I was overcome with fear,even if I didn't show it,I quickly went towards Albel who just put a reassuring hand on my shoulders as he smirked, "Thanks for the help...Nel." he then completely vanished along with the rest of us._

_I then woke up in the Irisa fields where the rest of the group were walking about,checking themselves for anything out of place,I saw Albel talking to Fayt and the others before walking off a bit to the cliff edge above the sea,I stood behind him as he said these words, "Care to sit with me,I need someone to share this sight with..." I complied as I sat down next to him as I saw the sun shining brightly upon the world among countless others that we had just saved._

(Back to Reality)

A knock on her door was heard as Blair walked in, "Wake up Nel,the queen requests your presence in the audience chamber." she took one look at her wounds and gasped as she took out a Blueberry and forced it into Nel's mouth as the berry worked it's effects on her while Blair prepared her own Healing Runology. "You should really be careful of what you fight with unless you know that you'll defeat it." Nel nodded apologetically and before the healing could be finished,she had run off to the audience chamber but not before popping a Blackberry which she had just pilfered from Blair's pouch into her mouth as her mental power was restored to a more appropriate level.

(Audience Chamber)

During the three years since the incident concerning the 4-D beings,Queen Romeria had a set of large-sized statues of her and her comrades sculpted to honor their acts of heroism as well as setting up a holiday to commemorate their success in defeating a 'god' though Nel wondered how the sculptors had managed to capture various details of each hero when the sculptors had never even seen them in person before but that was unimportant now as Nel knelt before her Queen.

"Special Agent Nel Zelpher of the Crimson Blade reporting for duty." Queen Romeria had pretty much remained the same fair-skinned beauty as she sat on her throne with Lasselle by her side,he had seemed to have aged by 10 years rather than 3 since he had to handle both the antics and trouble caused by both Adray Lasbard and Roger Huxley as they often frequent the palace corridors,planning pranks to upset the man which made his work very stressful,making him age faster.

"Rise Agent Zelpher,the queen has an assignment for you." Lasselle still spoke in his pompous tone as usual,Nel really hated that but she kept silent, "Enough Laselle,please rise Nel." she did as she was told and stood up, "Nel,I have an important assignment for you,it'll require you to recruit your companions into this mission." Nel's eyes evidently twitched as the thought of having Adray and Roger with her again pierced her thought but the safety of her world was more important so she nodded.

"The situation is that the Shrine of Kaddan has just been breached by unknown entities that matches those of the creatures you call Convictors and they have currently closed up the entrance in the chapel,your assignment is to go there and eliminate the threat so you'll have to go around the Sacred Lake to enter the shrine,are you sure that you'll take this mission ?" again,she nodded.

"Very well,you can take this day to rest and prepare yourself for tomorrow,your comrades have been informed of this. Dismissed." Nel bowed before Romeria and then made her way back out but remembering that her supplies were gone,she would have to restock so she just walked towards the nearest balcony facing the city and jumped.

She felt relaxed as she jumped from roof to roof towards the shops, _'Oh Albel,why do I even see you in my sleep ?'_ she asked herself while using her ninja-like skills reach the shopping district but not before noticing with her sharp eagle eye,Laselle back at the palace with a bucket over his head and his clothes sopping wet, _'Sometimes,I wish you were here to discipline those bumbling pranksters.'_

Rune Bulbs:Basically these bulbs are actually regular stones charged with Runology/Symbology which doesn't need recharging since the lights given off are just the byproducts of Runology inside the stones.

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(Royal Grace,Hull Outside the Engine Room)

The small little drone had attached itself directly below the metallic hull of the Royal Grace but due to the nature of the magical energy surrounding that part of the hull,the drone somehow phased through the plates of metal and directly into the core of the engine without the mages who were meditating,sensing anything amiss.

Unfortunately,this had resulted in a little spark in the engine which created a chain reaction that quickly haywires the system as the mages were suddenly blown away from their sitting position. Laying prostrated on the floor,they tried getting up but a tremor shook the engine room along with the rest of the Royal Grace.

(Hallways)  
Oliver was traversing the hallways when the shaking started as he suddenly fell forward but his elven reflexes kicked in as he gingerly got back onto his feet and ran towards the bridge.

(Bridge)  
The operators were panicking as they rushed about trying to restore order when Oliver got there,he grasped one of them by the shoulders and said out quickly, "Stay calm and tell me what's happening!" the operator spluttered out, "T-th-the-The Engine Core is go-goin-going haywire!" Oliver then took out his personal mini-laptop and connected it to the ship's main interface as he saw that the engine was reacting in a violent manner as it sent out jolts of electricity throughout the Royal Grace as one by one,almost every piece of machinery was shocked and short-circuited,including the Navigation systems.

"Everyone!We need to stabilize the Royal Grace!Now!" the operators then got back to their senses as they rushed back to their posts. "What are your orders sir ?" Oliver started giving out instructions, "Alright!First we'll need to stabilize the various systems of the ship!Starting with the Navigation and switch to the secondary engines before cutting off the main core then we'll..."

(Colony Area)  
The civilians were much more calm than the operators but they were like this because they had little idea of what's really happening but the tremors caused quite an uproar as the shaking increased to a level that equals to that of a small level quake which was improbable but not impossible.

Then,the civilians panicked as a number of the buildings began crumbling before falling apart piece by piece. A piece of rubble was about to crush a little boy until Marion rushed in,grabbed the boy and jumped in the nick of time as she fell flat onto the ground, "That was too close for comfort,come on,we gotta get to the manor,it's walls are sturdier than the other buildings!"

Marion soon led her group to the gates of the manner where the guards were taking in the civilians as quickly as possible,Marion saw that Rosa was helping the civilians as well, "Your Highness!There are still people trapped in the Business District!" Rosa nodded, "Alright,I'll get a few people to accompany me to look for them." Marion sighed in relief, "Thank you Your Highness." Rosa smiled at this, "Just call me Rosa,okay ?"

(En Route to Business District)  
Rosa managed to round up Trevor and Sera along with a number of guards and were riding a buggy towards the district that was said to hold trapped people inside. "Anyone know why the ship's acting like this ?" Trevor asked nervously as he was sitting between two guards that were both bigger than in him in stature as their stern faces remained devoid of emotion, "Don't worry about these guys,their nicer than they look,they're quite friendly when their not on duty." the guards smirked a little which didn't make Trevor feel any better as the smirks seem somewhat menacing.

Suddenly,two unknown objects jumped at the moving vehicle, "What the!" Sera,who was driving the vehicle,swerved it to the sides as she then saw a set of metal pincers bit into the thick plates of the buggy's roof and then tore it clean off the vehicle's frame,the guards took out their swords and immediately stabbed the unknown attacker before it fell silent.

"What the heck was that ?" one of the guards stood up as he tossed the defeated foe off the vehicle, "It's a Security Drone,one of the Royal Grace's state of the art defense systems,something must be wrong with ship's system if the drones are acting up. If memory serves correctly,there are a total of thirty drones in the business district. Hopefully,the tremors have taken down most of them or we'll be in trouble.

Then a couple of drones came out to attack them with back-mounted cannons but Trevor took out his sword,batted the projectiles of energy away and sliced the two drones in half before kicking them away just before they exploded. All this had been done in one fluid motion and he had done it in 5 seconds which left the group flabbergasted. In a more confident tone,he spoke out, "Come on!We have people to rescue or less they've been reached by these drones!" the guards nodded as they followed his lead as Trevor sensed the heat coming from a large group of people,making him the leader of the rescue party until further notice.

(Engine Room)  
While all this happened,the mages were trying to find out what was the source of the problem but they couldn't use their magic since they were afraid that anymore magic used on the core might cause it to overload which in turn will result in an explosion that will destroy the Royal Grace and it's passengers,they had no choice but to escape the bolts of lightning launched by the engine,letting the crystals in the core latch onto the drone sent by Jake.

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(Woglinde,Hallways)

Wayne had investigated the situation quite a bit now but it certainly didn't bode well for him as his crew was dead,his ship taken over by Schilling's forces,the space port where his son was stationed at was attacked but the one good news about Commander Heinnman's escape had kept his good spirit afloat above the sea of sadness as he briskly walked along the hallways as he pretended to be patrolling the ship and was pulling it off quite well as none of the other guards noticed him being the former captain of this ship.

He then noticed that he had wandered towards the viewing deck where he saw hundreds upon hundreds of Zakus flying along the Woglinde and a Juggernaut-Classed Cruiser named The Crimson Noble which was a term for a vampire and it was quite suiting as the whole ship was black in color with blood-red rims along it,this made Wayne shuddered as the term also described Schilling quite accurately as he knew that Schilling suck his victims dry of not blood but merits and creditability and leave them dead,either by hired hit men or by his own hands as there was a pattern on how he risen from a lowly Corporal to a Brigadier General and a string of cases concerning murdered military officials linked to it though hardly any evidence pointed to him so he gotten away Scott Free.

He was lucky when the bullet meant for him was taken by his son,David who had survived thanks to a flak jacket he was wearing then,the hit man was then promptly killed by Schilling's men,probably to keep his mouth shut forever. Wayne was tempted to hijack a Raize Fighter and go for a kamikaze attack on the Crimson Noble but the probability of his success would be nil. Recomposing himself,Wayne continued prowling his captured vessel,in hopes of recapturing it and that hope just rose higher as he heard a few of the guards chatting.

"Don't you think Brigadier General Schilling's decision to kill all those people just cause they didn't want to join us kind of cruel ?" "Yeah,it was kind of cold-hearted of Schilling but let's stop talking about this or we'll get caught and jettisoned out into space like the Woglinde's crew." Wayne decided to observe these guards to see where their loyalties lie,would it be for Schilling's cause or their conscience that's what Wayne Schultz is going to find out.

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(Earth,Federation Headquarters Basement)

Although the attacks on the Earth had destroyed multiple structures on it's surface but the parts that were underground remained intact though a bit scorched. Among these structures was the underground facilities of the Federation Headquaters which housed the databanks that holds various information on any subject,including those on Brigadier General Schilling.

Elliot Greves who had volunteered to be Ron's escort sighed deeply as he had just lost Ron among the numerous rows of computers that reminded him of a maze,he could've asked the guards outside to help him find Ron but that would jeopardize the facility's safety as the area was quite close to the Lower Tier and various crime lords and faction leaders would love to get their hands on the information stored here so he decided to search for Ron by himself.

And it wasn't hard when he heard the sounds of a keyboard being typed on. Following the sound,he was led to Ron's whereabouts,the inquisitive man was typing furiously on a compact laptop that he had managed to sneak in. "How did you bring that thing in here ?" Ron smiled and showed him a small bracelet that had the Federation's insignia on it, "Digitization,an incomplete prototype by Comodore Wittcomb that I managed to find and remodel to my specification and thanks to the insignia,it'll pass through any security check." Elliot saw a pile of documents laying beside a printer connected to the laptop, "The acquisition of the required documents have been completed,just let me download this data file on this Genesis Project and we'll be going."

Elliot tried to disconnect the laptop before Ron completes the download of the secret information but when he unplugged the device,the cable along with the equipment Ron had began to break down into data as they were instantly digitized by Ron's Digitizer Bracelet. "Nah ah ah!I have the right to at least browse through a bit of the data,considering that the amount of info I've recovered exceeds the amount of the fee,so the data should balance out the issue about my fee. Well then,shall we get going now ?"

Eliiot just sighed more deeply as he followed Ron out into the semi-fresh air of outside. "How am I going to explain this to the President ?" Just then,he'd spotted a small ship that was immediately recognized as the ship used only when an urgent message or delivery is needed to be delivered in a hurry as it suddenly winked out of this area of space as it had just entered Gravitic Warp Space.

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(Spiritual Realm,Dragon Fire Palace)

Daphne had already shown Reina most of the palace,the foyers,the gardens,the courtyards,even the rooms where the previous possessors of the Dragon Fire resided and time was almost up but Reina noticed something on the walls back to the throne room,it was the murals depicting Argus' life,including that of his fight against Undine which was still incomplete but the picture showed enough to pique her curiosity.

"What's going on in this mural ?" Daphne was slightly hesitant to answer her question but someone else answered for her, "Oh my goodness!He hasn't returned to the Mortal Realm did he ?" Bloom had returned with Skye in tow. "It seems he's fighting Undine to pass the Trials to obtain the Flames' true potential and it says here that he's fighting Undine,the Water Elemental to prove his heart...either it's to prove the strength of his heart or it's to fight for your love my dear Reina."

The sudden appearance of Bloom startled everyone present,even Daphne who was shocked that Bloom told Reina everything and with such casualness too! "Sister,are you sure that was wise to tell her that little detail ?" the group then saw that Reina had used the teleportation spell to reach Argus. Bloom had the capability to stop her doing so but she just let her go which made Daphne a bit curious of why her sister just allowed Reina,who knew nothing about the Spirit Realm which was so vast that most of it was still unknown.

"Why did you let her go without stopping her ?" Bloom just smiled and said, "Oh nothing,it's just that she needs to see for herself whether or not her feelings for Argus will be returned to her or not." some of them were confused at her words but before they could ask her what she meant,she had already walked through one of the many doors in the palace which could lead to anywhere as the palace was created like a maze,meaning that only the people who lived there knew the way through the entire palace but just like Bloom,Daphne had left through a door leading elsewhere.

"Well Musa..." Riven looked at her curiously, "Well what Riv ?" Musa asked as she glared at Riven which made him nervous, "Um...uuh,would you mind teleporting us back home ? I really don't like people staring at me." the former possessors of the flame were looking at the couple who were sticking out like a sore thumb, "Oh alright,hang on to me. You big baby." Riven gladly wrap his arms around her shoulders as she twirled her fingers like a composer for an orchestra would and they were soon enveloped in a thick veil that created music and then,they were gone,back to their own region of the Spirit Realm.

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(Dragon City,Entrance)

Although it has been only a few days since Kitt and Artha started work on restoring Dragon City and with the help of the reformed dragons and the help from people who were released from their stasis sleep,the restoration was well underway. Also,Artha managed to enlist the help of a large conglomerate which was owned by Olsen Wittcomb.

Olsen was visiting the city when Artha was talking to Zian who was in his human form, "Are you sure you and your kin won't live here with us ? After all,your Great Dragons seem to have grown a liking to living here." Zian just smiled as he ran his gloved hands through his green mane. "It's quite simple really. You see,Great Dragons can't truly settle down in one area permanently as our body changes to suit the environment but our body must always change at the determined time but if we don't change at the time limit,we will go through a series of painful headaches that causes momentary lapses of our reasoning,making us feral,destroying anything nearby until our minds go mad and our body dies out within 5 days."

Artha was left speechless as Zian's kind were that complex,even more so than Beau's own abilities. "Well,at least stay in the city during your stay here,couldn't you ?Who knows,we might even find a solution on how to remedy your condition." Olsen chuckled at the young man's optimism, "Hope I'm not interrupting anything." "Oh!Mr Wittcomb...um uh...Zian,meet Mr Wittcomb,the man who is financing the restoration of Dragon City. Mr Wittcomb,meet Zian,the Clan Leader of the Great Dragons."

"Ah,Great Dragons!Magnificent beings that has the ability to shapeshift. I read from an old book that said your kind originated from the very dragon that created the Magic Dimension,the Sacred Dragon. Is this true ?" Olsen had developed a habit for reading up on many creatures of this dimension,including those of a Great Dragon. "Yes,my kind was created eons ago when this dimension was created but back then,our kind were much more powerful than our current level as it takes one Great Dragon thousands of years to reach that level of power but we would never dare go that far." Being the curious person that he was,Artha asked him, "Why ?"

Zian was about to answer when Olsen put his hand on his shoulder, "Let me hazard a guess. Is it because too much power would corrupt your pure soul ?" Zian nodded in agreement, "That is correct,though of course a few of my kin had left the clan to try and develop that level of power. In fact,I believe that a hybrid youngling who was born from an Elf and a Great Dragon had left the dimension to learn from the dragons in another dimension,last I've heard,he had learned from the mighty Crosell and is currently under the guidance of a Diamond Dragon on a world known to me as Espel...or was it Expel ?

"Lance!Come back with my instruments!" a shrill voice shrieked as the three turned around to see a young man in his 20s chasing a teenager around the age of 16 who was carrying a device in his hands, "Not a chance Parm!Not until you promise me to fix Fracsheon's (spoke like fraction) Grappling Gear!" Artha sighed deeply as he whistled for Beau who seemed to conversing with the other dragons,when the dragon of legend came up to him Artha whispered into the tiny but sensitive ears of his dragon who seemed to chortle in amusement at the idea.

"Alright boy,go!" Beau let out a bolt of mag-energy,picking up the two runners and brought them in front of Artha, "Lance,give me the Mag-Hammer." the teen gave up the device which was a small hammer-like device that Artha promptly pocketed, "Alright Beau,let them go." Beau stopped his energy as the two plopped onto the ground,dizziness shown by their expression.

The teen named Lance had a common lean figure that teenagers had,his face held traces of freckles that he must've had in his younger days,he wore a green shirt that was covered by a blue vest along with a pair of ripped jeans where the bottoms were tucked into a regular pair if rider boots. The man named Parm was a dark-skinned man with orange hair that looked frazzled thanks to Beau's Mag-grab,he was wearing a green shirt with a dark green fist emblem on the front with a worn out coat,making it look similar to a vest,he wore a pair of pants that was held up by suspenders that were lined with gadgets of various uses but the two young men had armbands similar to Artha's right on their arms,Lance's was blue while Parm's was green.

"He started it!" Parm yelled out while pointing a finger at Lance who just blew a raspberry at him, "Aw come on!I'm your little brother and big brothers always take their little brother's side...right?" Artha just sighed as he slowly shook his head, "Parm,take your stuff and fix Fracsheon's gear." Lance laughed at Parm, "And as for you little bro. Weren't you suppose to help the Fist of the Dragon crew with the deliveries of construction gear to Squire's End ?" Lance's eyes darted left and right, "Now that you mentioned it...Gotta go!" in a second,Lance had just ran off into the entrance to Dragon City.

"Sorry about that,those were my brother Lance and my friend Parm now...where were we ?" The two spectators nodded while holding back their laughter as Beau sneaked up behind Artha and tripped him with his tail, "Very funny Beau but how about this!" Artha sent out a Mag-Claw technique which pushed Beau onto his back. "Either way,we'll accept your hospitality and stay at your city for the remainder of the season." Zian then walked towards a wide clearing and with a sweep of his hands,turned himself into his dragon form. "I'll be back in a few hours with my brethren to help you with the restoration of your city." and he flew away to his clan's current nesting grounds.

"Well,Mr Penn,I see that you've already have everything under control,I'll be going then." Artha nodded as he saw Olsen got back aboard his ship as it also flew off into the distance. "Well boy,one thing for sure,we have a bright future ahead of us." Beau grunted before the mischievous dragon tripped Artha again and galloped off before Artha yelled out, "Come back here Beau and let me 'fix your scales!'" before he went in pursuit of his dragon,laughing all the way while Kitt and Wyldfyr watched them and shook their heads.

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(Spiritual Realm,Argus' Fight with Undine)

"Hya!" Argus yelled out as he slashed at Undine with his new Phoenix Blade but the Elemental just used her flexibility to evade his attack before striking out with her trident but her opponent blocked the attack with a shield of fire, "What the!" Argus looked at the shield as the fire dissipated the name (which is long by the way) _'Blazing Shield of Hope!'_ went through his mind,he smiled as he gripped the shield tighter and retaliated against the Elemental.

"You'll have to do better than that to defeat me! _'Surging Wave_s" a wave of water was sent after Argus, "Oh boy,I forgot about that !" but fortunately,Efreet decided to give him a little tip "Master!Use the shield and call out Flame Wall!" Argus had no choice but to follow the Fire Elemental's instructions as he held the Blazing Shield in front of him and yelled out, "_'Flame Wall!'"_ and just like the words said,a massive wall of fire blocked the water-based attack which resulted in the water turning into steam.

Argus relaxed his stance and lowered the Blazing Shield,"Whew !That was too close for comfort!...Wait a minute,where's Undine" he was now in the steamy mist that was created earlier and couldn't even see the tip of his sword,he went into a defensive stance as he looked around carefully,looking out for any attacks by Undine, "Come now,is the young prince too cautious to fight me ?" Argus remained silent as he strained his ears to hear where the voice came from but he didn't have the time when the moisture in the steam gathered to form a water tentacle that wrapped itself around Argus' legs and suddenly tossed him into the air.

Just as he was about to fall onto the solid platform but he sent out a blast of fire which slowed down his descent as he landed gently and firmly onto the ground, "That was unexpected,what kind of attack was that ?" he saw the steam were turning into tendrils of water which reminded him of the Kraken on Andros and in the mass of tendrils was Undine,manipulating the water to her will. "Take this_!'Binding Tendrils!'"_ she sent the tendrils of water after Argus who tried blocking with a Flame Wall but the liquid appendages just went around the fiery blockade and latched themselves onto Argus' arms and legs and stretched them out,hurting him in the process.

'Clang!' his Phoenix Blade and Blazing Shield dropped onto the platform as he was slowly raised above the ground and slowly carried towards Undine, "How disappointing,to think,that you are the chosen one. All I see is someone that's lasted this long only with the help of another!" Argus struggled under the hold of the watery tendrils as Undine readied herself as she enveloped herself in a large body of water which formed into something even more like the Kraken as it raised it's free tentacles to strike Argus.

"I don't know what the heck you mean by chosen one!...but I know this." Undine momentarily let herself outside the body of water and said out calmly, "What is it,O Keeper of the Flame ?" Argus just he smirked, "I never lose so easily." Undine just huffed in contempt before she returned into the watery monstrosity, "Very well then,I'll just defeat you and send you back to the mortal realm!" the tentacles lashed out at Argus but they suddenly evaporated back into steam and into nothing as a sudden heat wave overwhelmed them. Argus was wielding his weapons that had teleported into his hands.

"I said I'd never lose so easily!"Argus batted the limbs that held him with the Blazing Shield while the heat emanating from it evaporated the other tentacles that were sent by Undine to attack him. Argus went into a defensive position as he fell onto the platform as Efreet watched in fascination, "He has learned the special technique has he." Undine was also fascinated by Argus' new abilities, "Hmm,impressive. Maybe you are worthy to be my new master after all but let's see you defend against this!_'Aquatic Barrage!'_" a massive sphere of water was created out of thin air as it suddenly started shooting thousands upon thousands of droplets of water that were going at a speed that could rival a speeding bullet but Argus used the Flame Wall technique to defend himself but the stray water bullets penetrated Efreet's water dome and made small but significant dents in his armor as steam rose from these dents, "Be careful out there!I'm still here!"

"Sorry about that Efreet but a trial is a trial and I don't intend to let the Keeper of the Flame win so easily against me!" she continued pressing the barrage as the Flame Wall slowly diminished in size while Argus' stance started to falter. Victory for Undine seemed imminent but she was suddenly surprised when she found Argus missing from her sights as she saw the Flame Wall dissipate,her water bullets hitting only the platform. "Where is he!Where did he go ?" Undine's calm demeanor was breaking down as she looked all over the platform but she only saw Efreet still trapped in the water dome.

"I'm right here! Fire Arts' Special Move!_'Inferno Claymore!'_" he surrounded himself with fireballs that whizzed about him before they formed into a giant sized claymore of fire that Argus took hold of it and slashed at Undine's Water Kraken which was suddenly destroyed in a massive burst of steam as fire collided with water and Argus used the momentum from swinging the claymore to tackle Undine but just as he caught her,he felt something was wrong as he heard a familiar yelp as he also noticed that he was holding onto fabric of clothing instead of armor.

"Well done Keeper of the Sacred Flame,you have passed my trial." Undine walked out of the mist,holding her trident limply before she collapsed just in front of Efreet who was free from the water dome,he caught her in his arms as her helmet fell off to reveal a beautiful woman with hair that looked like water, "You always overdo it,don't you Undine ?" the Water Elemental giggled uncharacteristically, "Yes,your right but I guess I have you to keep me in check,no." Efreet nodded in agreement as he opened up a portal, "Come on,we need to get you to your chambers to rest." and they went in before it disappeared and a tiny glittering object fell to the ground.

"Wait a minute!If that was Undine ?...Then who do I have here ?" he looked at the unknown person he had tackled a moment ago,the steam still covered the area but it soon cleared up and to his surprise and embarrassment,it was Reina and they were yet again in an position that compromised her innocence but luckily,his hormones were non-existent in the Spiritual Realm and Reina was a little stunned by the shock of the tackle so Argus took the opportunity to get off of Reina who had woke up a few seconds later, "Uh...hi Reina...how's it going ?" _'Man!That was a lame way to greet her after all that...man!I'm such an idiot!'_

Reina didn't know what she was feeling right now as she saw Argus right in front of her,anger,sadness,confusion and all that other emotions that concerned feelings went through her head,she had so much she wanted to say but all that came out of her mouth was "Hi Argus I-" but before she could talk some more,a runic circle appeared below them and a bright flash blinded them before they too like the Elementals,disappeared from the platform and the small glittering item as if by coincidence,launched itself onto Argus' body just before they've gone,leaving everything as it was.

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Author's note:Sorry about being so late in updating my story but school is getting out of hand and my internet connection got disconnected but it's back now. Though of course,it'll take a while to update the next chapter,since my creativity is at a seriously low level,an art project I'm doing will be worth the majority points in the final term of my SPM,so I'll need my imagination to do it,meaning I'll be in a long hiatus for a while.

Now then,enough of my whining,let's start this chapter's. Drum Roll please!(A drum rolls by)  
"Not funny..."

WiVo:  
The group will be facing a number of security drones aboard the malfunctioning Royal Grace but who or what do you think will be the 'boss' of these Security Drones.  
A.)A giant Security Droid  
B.)A Mutation created from one the malfunctioning facilities  
C.)The Tracker Drone sent by Jake,which might have transformed into something freakish.  
D.)A bunch of the Security Drones put together.

You decide. This is Argus456,signing off.


	24. Chapter 23

Author's Notes:Sorry for being so late on my updates,my grandmother is currently in the hospital after a fall few days after the last update but she's slowly recovering if any of you are concerned though she may have to be moved to a nursing home,nothing else to say except thanks to my readers and I hope you enjoy this chapter!.

Disclaimer:I don't own anything in this story that is related to Winx Club,Star Ocean:Till the End of Time and any other crossovers found in this story but I do own the Ocs and the plot-line.

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(70 S.D,Somewhere In Space,Aboard a Ship)

A young man who appeared to be 16 or 17 was currently lying under the console of the cockpit controls,he had long silver hair tied up in a black band,he had a lean but well-built body that was dressed in a black ensemble that consisted of a black trench coat with black pants,dark combat boots and a pair of dark leather gloves that were partly singed,the only thing not black was his white shirt underneath the coat,his eyes were inconsistent as they kept turning from sapphire blue to crimson red as he was calm a moment ago then angry when he was shocked by a jolt of electricity from the wires before something let out a small explosion,covering the youth's face in smoke.

_"I told you that it was the white wire."_ a calm female voice said in his head as another voice that sounded aggressive yelled at the other voice,_'Silence Kasua!I know what I'm telling him about!It is the black wire!'_ the youth grew annoyed at the bickering of these voices, "Will you two please shut up so I can think!Geez,sometimes I wonder how I haven't purged you two from my body in the thousand years of my life. _"It's because that our spirits have already fused together with your's too much for you to actually do that." 'Kasua is right Shinryu and if you remove us,your body will be severely weakened and it might even die from the shock,you're just lucky that your a special breed of your species.'_ the youth known as Shinryu nodded as he got back into his seat as he started checking the ship's parameters.

"I suppose you are right.....At least the life support system is still active....I guess that going through a shortcut that's directly in the middle of an asteroid field wasn't exactly smart was it,eh Mera ?" Shinryu spoke in an accusing manner at Mera the aggressive voice in his mind. _'Silence!After 1600 years of living with experience learned through physical labor plus the ability to learn through the draining of your victims' blood,you should have been able to go through that asteroid field easily!'_ "Yeah right!The guy I drained the blood from was just a senile old man who was losing his memories of his glory days as a pilot! What were you thinking when you took over my body,you've could gotten us killed!"

_'I know that but why didn't you use the Dimensional Slicer technique instead of traveling in this hunk of scrap metal!'_ but the voice of Kasua answered the question _"And have the risk of us being stranded on an unknown world,you know that ever since that last battle with that warlock on Elicoor I ?I don't think so my draconic sibling."_ while the two voices argued,Shinryu blocked out their voices and tried to operate the console and see if any of the other ship's functions were up but after a while.

"Shit!Most of the ship's system are down....Guess I gotta fix the distress beacon externally,now to create an air bubble...." through his entire life,Shinryu who was the son of a Elven father who was bitten by a vampire and his mother was a Great Dragon,he naturally had an incredible talent for magic and was able to instantly learn any skills or spells through the drinking of a person's blood and since it was too much of a hassle to learn the needed skills to master his power so he managed to track down several rouge wizards and mages who he had immediately eliminated,with the victims losing their heads and drinking their blood,taking their powers into his body including the ability to create pockets of breathable atmosphere to encase his body.

"Now then,time to go outside and fix that beacon" he opened up a hatch on the floor and jump into it as he landed in the airlock and closed the hatch above him. As he secured the hatch,he could still hear the two voices arguing about something that he could care less about it as he secured a safety line around his waist to a nearby railing before opening the hatch that led to outside space. No matter how many times he has seen it,the shinning stars of space always mesmerized him as he admired the twinkling stars while he set to work on fixing the distress beacon.

Unfortunately,repairing the beacon was easier said than done as the argument between Kasua and Mera were intensifying to the point that Shinryu couldn't ignore it any longer "What in the blazes of the the great Dragon Fire are you two arguing about!" the two voices answered back with the similar results _"Superiority over the other" 'To see who's stronger'_ Shinryu smacked his forehead at the sheer stupidity of the argument, "Alright then!To settle this matter once and for all!You two are spirits of the dragons. Kasua,the Dragon of Light and Mera,the Dragon of Darkness,both of you are equally strong since you both are siblings which dragon lore says that if one dragon sibling grows stronger so does their sibling!Got it!" _'I know but-'_ "Got it!!" Shinryu yelled internally as he subdued the spirits in his vessel of a body.

I even wonder why you two almighty spirits who had refined manners...well one of you were like that..." _'I'd be wary of what you say Shinryu'_ "...developed personalities that are childish and clash even more with each others." the two spirits within him remained silent as they digested this information which was quite convenient for Shinryu as he fixed up the beacon and pushed the external button to switch it on, "Good,a ship is nearby. It'll reach us within a few minutes." Shinryu just smiled at the calming silence of the two spirits as he climbed back into his ship,waiting for the aforementioned ship to 'rescue' him, "Wonder if there are any powerful warlocks on that ship to drain blood from.....?"

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(Present,Andrew's Location:15th Militia Spaceport)

Although the station was severely damaged,a few areas of the station was left intact,including a training field that simulated an arid environment where soldiers train for battle but instead of soldiers,there were two mobile suits in the training field.

The unit on one end of field was a mobile suit that had a powerful look to it with all the guns and long range equipment on it,the mobile suit was code named Cerberus with it's large powerful frame that was outfitted with equipment that would make a military armory pale in comparison as two massive cannons were hanging on it's back along with other long range equipment such as two beam rifles in each hand,two missile launchers on the leg compartments just to name a few and the pilot of Cerberus was Andrew Heinmann.

Inside Cerberus' cockpit,Andrew was dressed in a Federation pilot suit,as he examined the controls of the Cerberus,he saw that they were quite similar to the Zaku's controls as he heard Reika on the built-in communicator talking to him while he saw Reika's face on a view screen beside him, "Alright Andrew,It seems you know the basic functions of a mobile suit but let's see how well you can do in an advance unit,engage the Cerberus' Phase Shift Armor and get ready for battle. Although he outranks Reika,she was the more experienced pilot so he had to listen to her until he got the hang of it, "Affirmative,engaging P.S Armor now."

With the push of a few buttons,the dull gray armor plating of the Cerberus turned into a dark purple color with violet trimmings,it's eyes then flashed a neon green "Nice,but check this out!" Reika cheered as she piloted her own unit,the Nightshade a little bit forward,while the Cerberus concentrated on long-ranged equipment,the Nightshade was a unit built for close combat as two metallic swords could be seen attached to it's sides while a pair of wing-like boosters hid a long pole behind it's back,the Nightshade's frame was quite sleek and it's Phase Shift Armor was space black with a few yellow trimmings here and there,it's eyes flashed in crimson red,both units went into battle positions.

"Alright then,remember this is just a mock battle so don't get carried away,you'll win when your opponent is cornered and is unable to use their weapons or when their Phase Shift Armor run low on power,understood." David's voice was heard over a speaker system as he judged the battle, the two mobile suits nodded their heads with the pilots' control. "Good,let the mock battle start!"

"Here I come!" Reika declared as the Nightshade grabbed the twin swords as the swords twirled around in it's hands before gripping them like a master swordsman and started running towards the Cerberus which remained still as it's opponent rushed it, "Odd,for a trained pilot,she seems reckless." Andrew whispered to himself as he waited for the perfect moment to move.

"Why aren't you moving ?" David asked himself as he saw the Nightshade unit come closer towards it's target.

"5000 feet...." the Nightshade set the two swords in a cross formation so that it'll be able to deflect any shot from the Cerberus' guns but so far,not a single gun was even ready for firing.

"Don't tell me he's going to-" David then realized the tactic that Andrew was going to use but decided to keep quiet until the match was over.

"3000 feet..." although it was difficult to notice it but the thrusters that were on the Cerberus' back was getting ready for a quick flight.

Reika was still charging her Nightshade unit towards the Cerberus but fully knowing what Andrew was going to do, "You're not going to get me that easily,I still have my 'insurance'" she smirked as her thumb gently moved over a button on the control panel.

"1500 feet...." a large crowd of people were now watching the strange battle as a few were betting on the mobile suit they thought was going to win, "Lieutenant Reika's gonna win this hands down!I bet 3000 Fol on Lieutenant Balfour!" "No way!I bet 5000 Fol that Commander Heinmann will pull off an incredible stunt at the last moment!" the bets piled up as the Nightshade got closer to the Cerberus.

"700 feet....." the Nightshade readied it's blades for striking until the Cerberus... "Now!" ignited it's thrusters and launched itself into the air before firing upon Nightshade with it's weapon as missiles were fired,rifles were discharging beam shots,creating a large cloud of dust which masked the scene if the Nightshade had defended against those shots.

A loud cheer was heard from the people who had placed their bets on Andrew while the ones who had wagered against him were hoping that Reika was still able to fight but the clouds of dust remained unstirred but David interrupted their cheering with the speakers, "It's not over yet." and he was right when a sword penetrated the dust clouds.

"I'm still in the game so get ready Andrew!" the Nightshade flew into the air before Reika initiated her 'insurance' and the mobile suit suddenly disappeared,shocking Andrew as the Cerberus was looking around warily,waiting for the Nightshade to reappear but the sensors couldn't pick anything up, "Very interesting,a unit that has cloaking capabilities but not good enough!"

Nightshade reappeared behind Cerberus,ready for an attack that'll knock his unit down but Reika was surprised when the two cannons on it's back immediately aimed at her and let loose a blast of Creation energy that Reika managed to avoid with a quick burst of the Nighshade's thrusters but both of the swords were incinerated.

"That was too close for comfort...Hey!Watch it,it's still a mock battle!" Andrew replied through the intercom, "Really,cause that attack would've destroyed my cannons which might have caused my Creation Energy Core to overload now wouldn't it." the Nightshade's movement faltered for a moment before adjusting to it's original flight pattern,taking out the pole from it's back.

"Hmm,that pole looks harmless against the PS Armor but I have to be careful just in case." Andrew whispered to himself as he maneuvered Cerberus towards the ground while he occasionally fired a few laser shots with rifles,veering the Nightshade slightly off it's pursuit which bought Andrew some time to fire a charged rifle shot which hit the Nightshade dead on in it's mid-section,lowering the Phase Shift Armor's energy levels quite a bit which made Reika angry as she increased the Nightshade's acceleration and sped towards the Cerberus with the pole ready for an attack,the Cerberus positioned the Dual Creation Cannons on it's shoulders,charging the energy level for a strong attack but one that wasn't too dangerous for the PS Armor as he waited at the right moment to fire.

The Nightshade then used it's cloaking capability once more but thanks to the dusty air,it's outline was somewhat visible so the Cerberus fired it's Dual Cannons at it,seemingly making a direct hit but when the bolt of energy was spent,the Nightshade was still intact though the pole it was holding was emitting a beam blade that curved downwards at the end,making it look like a scythe and by the looks of the electricity crackling around the Beam Scythe,it was obvious that the weapon had took on the attack head-on.

"Incredible,reckless but incredible. Let's see how the fight will end." David smiled before handing one of his subordinates a satchel of money, "There's 8000 Fol in there,bet it on the Cerberus to win. "Sir,are you saying that Commander Heinmann will win ?" "No,not at all. As you know,the space-station is severely damaged and morale is low but by showing the station's commander betting on a fight might raise the people's spirits." the subordinate nodded in understanding before exiting the room. "...besides,the Cerberus has something that can help Commander Heinmann win this,all that he needs to do is find that something." he smirked as he watched the fight continue.

Andrew was having a hard time maneuvering the Cerberus while the Nightshade kept thrusting the pole weapon which had then became a Beam Spear which was very difficult to evade since the Cerberus wasn't exactly built for close combat as the hulking cannons weighed it down,he evaded several close calls thanks to the thrusters but the coolants that maintained the temperature was running out.

"Damn it!At this rate,I'll lose....Hello,what do we have here....?" he saw a button under a see-through glass cover which read, 'Push In Case Of Close-Combat' "What luck!Whoa!" Andrew yelled out as the Cerberus had been struck by a thrust attack which lowered his PS Armor energy levels but the damage wasn't too extensive as the Cerberus managed the push back the pole weapon before it could inflict more damage on it but Reika surprised him when the Nightshade took out a seemingly harmless cylinder but it was anything but harmless as it emitted a short beam blade which was immediately plunged into one of the cannons' power cables on the back when he tried to fire it up close.

"Oh just great!Guess it's time to press it then." he flipped the cover and slammed his hand on it,activating the button's functions. "Time to finish this!" Reika smiled as the Nighshade's pole weapon had created a Beam Mallet that was going to hit the Cerberus but it evaded the attack by jumping to the left in the form of a..., "What the!A three-headed dog!" Reika yelled out in surprise as she never knew the Cerberus' full capabilities along with most of the spectators watching while David just smirked, "It's in the bag."

The Cerberus had transformed into what looked like a three-headed canine,an obvious reference to it's namesake,the Guardian of the Underworld,the mobile suit's arms and legs were tucked into the joints of their limbs while another set of powerful animal-like limbs replaced them and the guns were put away excluding the Dual Creation Cannons mounted on the back,the middle head had a set of saber-tooth like maws while the other two each had a beam blade emitting from the side the head that faced out of the middle head's radius.

"I guess that this is my unit's ability eh...." Cerberus remained still as was the Nightshade as they stared each other or at least that was what it looked like to the spectators. The one that made the first move was Andrew as Cerberus started spriniting towards Nightshade which once again tried the cloaking function making her mobile suit invisible but Andrew caught on to her tactics as he maneuvered the Cerberus to do a 360 degree spin with the beam blades turned on and just as his calculations anticipated,the Nighshade was caught in one of the beam blades as it catapulted the unit a few hundred feet away.

Inside the cockpit of the Nightshade,Reika was disoriented as she had became dazed a bit when she the impact of the beam blades cut her PS Armor energy levels down a dangerous level. "That's it!No more playing nice!" the Nighshade then positioned the pole weapon so that it was holding one end of it before slots on it's sides opened up and an array of lasers came out before coming together to form a Beam Claymore which looked menacing in the eyes of Andrew Heinmann. Andrew made Cerberus crouch low into the earthy sand before the functioning cannon on it's back charged up and fired at it and since the Nightshade was busy setting up it's grip on the Beam Claymore,it had barely dodged the attack but one of it's wing booster was damaged,making prolonged flight impossible as the smoke from the damaged booster covered the area under a veil of smoke.

Reika was frantically trying to see the Cerberus on her radars but the damage received from Cerberus' Beam Blade had damaged the sensors as the radar screen showed only static as she started spinning the Beam Claymore which blew away the smoke but it was too late when the Cerberus pounced her unit,the weight of the canine-like mobile suit pinned hers to the ground,the beam blades on the two other head's sides only a few meters from the Nightshade's upper torso,the place where the cockpit was located.

"It appears that I have you pinned down,do you surrender ?" Andrew's voice said in a confident manner,Reika tried to move either the arms or legs of her mobile suit but the Cerberus had them covered as Cerberus' paws had them secured with beam claws anchoring the limbs and the Beam Claymore was in it's pole-form and it was a good distance away from the Nightshade's grasp so with a groan,Reika replied in an exasperated tone."I give up."

The spectators cheered as Andrew helped Reika out of her unit before they started walking towards the exit. David calmly walked towards the control panel as he switched on the intercom, "The mock battle is over. The victor is Andrew Heinmann of the G Unit Cerberus...... and as for the situation of the gambling...." the spectators who were collecting their winnings suddenly stopped their activities in fear of being punishged. "....Please bring me my winnings to my desk now. That is all." the collecting of bet continued while David's subordinate collected his winnings.

"You know what Heinmann ?" Reika asked as a hover platform came to pick them up "What ?" Andrew asked while he climbed onto the platform before helping Reika up, "You're pretty good with a mobile suit,care to teach me some of your moves ?" Andrew chuckled when he turned and looked at their mobile suits as they were recovered by huge machinery that comically resembled Flamingos, "Sure,but you must do me a favor." Reika looked at him quizzically, "And what might that be then ?"

"Nothing much,just please tell me that there are bigger pilot suits,the one I'm wearing is a bit tight around my middle!"  
Andrew then broke into a laughing fit as his laughter caused Reika to laugh as well as she saw that it was a joke. While the laugh fest of two continued,David shook his head at them as he just sat back into the chair and proceeded to read the recent reports that were given to him concerning the station's status and one particularly old report that had somehow wounded up in the pile caught his eyes as the file's title was shown as:Exo-Suit Prototype. "Hmm,Commander Cain did mention something about developing a suit to enhance a person's capabilities..." he opened up the file and started reading

"Hmm,interesting. This might benefit us in the future...." David continue reading the report while the subordinate brought him his winnings, "Thank you,please leave it on the desk....you may go now." the subordinate saluted and exited the room,leaving his superior to his reading.

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(Red Fountain,Medic Tent)

Although the majority of the invasion force was wiped out with the power of Fayt's Destruction Gene,the Specialists remained alert as they fought off the remaining creatures from Army of Decay. Fayt slept on a makeshift bed while Izak carefully applied healing salve on Fayt's more serious wounds while Cliff used his limited knowledge of healing Symbology to heal the minor injuries,Fayt's equipment was laid out on an empty bed so they wouldn't get in the way of the healing.

"Man,I knew that Fayt has incredible powers but that was too amazing. To take down an army with that move." Izak nodded in agreement as he finished up applying the salve before he took off his tattered red trench coat and revealed the top part of his black body-suit which hugged tightly to his lean body which would've suffocated any regular person but as he was an android so it wasn't a problem,the suit also provided stealth in the dark.

Izak pulled out another red trench coat out of the suitcase which he had brought along to Red Fountain, "How many coats do you have in there ?" Cliff asked while Izak put on the new coat,Izak just smiled before patting the suitcase like a little dog, "That my friend,is classified information." he just strolled out of the tent,leaving Cliff alone to finish up the healing. Cliff went for a Blackberry to keep his Mental Powers up for the healing spells when he heard Fayt groaning as he woke up groggily with his hands on his forehead.

"Glad you're awake,how you're feelin' ?" Cliff asked while swallowing the Blackberry down his gullet"Ugh...I feel like I've been hit by a Cutter...twice...." Fayt winced as he felt the wound in his sides acting up as the the salve did it's job of healing it. Fayt looked around the tent and saw that he was the only one here,besides Cliff who was packing up the empty crates of salve. "If you're wondering why you're the only here...well you needed the most time to recover." "How long have I've been out then ?" Fayt asked curiously as he peeled off the dried salve off his body,using his own Symbology to heal himself, "A couple of hours,you sure gave those monsters hell with that move back there...what did you call it again ?....Birth of the Saint ?"

"What are you talking about,I don't remember that part-gah!My hand!" Fayt yelled as he touched his hand that the Juggernaut had crushed earlier,feeling that several bones were cracked as his hand was swollen and too fragile to heal yet,Cliff dabbled a cloth in Healing Salve and quickly wrapped the swollen appendage up,despite the screaming from Fayt, "Geez!Who knew you had such powerful lungs ?" Cliff was knocked upside his head by Fayt's good hand, "That wasn't funny !That hurt like hell-wait a minute,it stopped hurting ?" Cliff just pointed at the cases of Healing Salve in the tent.

"These guys knew you'll need this so they whipped up the best batch of that salve they could,your hand should be ready to swing a sword within the hour,until then..." Cliff tossed the Dragoon Laser to Fayt who caught it in his good hand, "It's time you to see you fight like Maria." Fayt smiled as he touched the gun's handle before he put it into it's holster, "Yeah you're right-" a roar was heard just outside the tent before Izak was sent flying through the opening before landing just beside the two, "Hehe..um care to help me out ?"

Fayt twirled the Dragoon Laser like the way a cowboy would before he shot a Beast Trooper that had entered the tent in between the eyes, "Yeah,I'll need a workout after that nap. Let's go!" Fayt yelled as he suddenly performed one of Maria's move, _'Triple Kick!'_ as he delivered three kicks in succession at the Beast Trooper and couple that with his Destruction Gene,the monster was instantly disintegrated with the final kick before he charged right into the center of the enemy mass and used Maria's signature gun attack, _'Laser Blast!'_ and he unleashed a laser bolt in every single direction,damaging the enemy before the whole pattern of lasers went up in flames as the explosion tore the enemies within 20 feet.

Fayt walked through the diminishing flames as he smirked at the Decay Larvae that were trying to find others to merge with but Fayt used his armored boots to stomp these little critters and shooting down any that were daring enough to pounce him while Cliff and Izak just watched in amazement as Fayt shot several of these pests like an expert marksmen while Fayt stopped for a moment when the Decay Larvae were a distance away, "What ?You'd think that playing shooting games don't count as experience in battle ?" his friends accepted the idea before Albel came in riding a dragon clouded in darkness,destroying the monsters caught in the razor sharp wings,leaving his comrades with dumbfounded looks on their faces except for Fayt who was looking at the incoming group of enemies.

Fayt pointed towards the enemy which Albel nodded too before he veered his dragon towards the platoon, "What are you waiting for maggots!Charge!!" he yelled as the dragon flew into the air getting ready for a dive-attack while Fayt ran towards the enemy with Maria's Dragoon Laser in his hand,shooting down the fliers that tried to stop him while Cliff and Izak were close behind him,pulverizing the Beast Troopers that sprung up from the mounds of Decay Larvae before they even had formed properly. Each time he discharged the Dragoon Laser's shots,Fayt felt himself more connected to Maria as the monsters before him went down with each shot and thought for a moment while still firing his gun _'All that's missing is for you to be here'_ he sighed deeply before his lips curled into a smirk as a Juggernaut towered over him, "So long.." he whispered before the Juggernaut was blown to smithereens when he fired a shot charged with destruction energy.

"Come on!I need reinforcements to end this!" Several Specialists rallied to his call as they took out their weapons under his orders, "First line!You're with me,the rest of you...cover us!" the Specialists raised their weapons in acknowledgment before Fayt fired the shot that signaled the charge as he and his comrades went into battle to wipe the last of the Army of Decay from the school.

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(Elicoor II,Shrine of Kaddan Entrance)

The Shrine of Kaddan,one of Aquaria's most sacred grounds but besides being a holy place for the followers of Apris it is also one of the most ancient pieces of architecture still remaining on the continent,many have wondered who had made the shrine but only a select few knew it's creators or at least the designers personally from the 4th Dimension. Nel and the others reached the entrance to find a number of Aquarian and Gylphian soldiers moving about as they coordinated the defenses but it wasn't made to keep people out but to keep something in and the one coordinating the defense was Elena accompanied by Woltar

"Hey!Elena!It's us!" Nel had expected something like this from Roger as the little Menodix bounded towards Elena who bent down and hugged him like a plush toy while Woltar chuckled softly, "Be careful your Highness,you don't want to overexert yourself,you're pregnant with his Majesty's child." despite Elena tearing up the love letter to her by Arzei,the King of Airyglyph didn't gave up so easily as he made several visits to Aquaria after the war had ended and most of them were made discreetly as he courted Elena on every occasion and eventually,after months of advances made by Arzei,she had relented and became Queen of Airyglyph. Now,she carried her unborn child inside herself as her robes were showing the outline of a round belly.

"Very well Woltar,you win." Elena gently put Roger back onto the ground as he grinned like an innocent child before Adray grabbed onto his head "You idiot,she's pregnant so don't cause her any trouble!" and pushed him lightly into the earth but for Adray,lightly was an equivalent of having one's face being hit by a mallet flying at 10 miles an hour but the ground Roger's face hit was soft but very wet as the mud clung to his face to reveal an amusing mud-mask that resembled the little dragon that had helped them in the Mountains of Barr.

After getting himself cleaned,Roger joined the others as the started the situation report, "Now as you know,these Executioners and Convictors have taken over most of the Shrine and we are currently holding them off with the help of the Thunder Arrows Queen Elena has graciously made for us...for now." Woltar said those words silently but Nel had heard them quite clearly. "So,what's the plan of attack ?" Adray asked as he pointed towards the map of the shrine, "These areas are clearly infested with the intended enemy but what about these areas ?" the man pointed towards several rooms that connected between the corridors Nel nodded to Adray's words, "Yes,weren't those places inhabited by those Crystal Knights ?"

Elena responded through somewhat confusing words that weren't so confusing to the three experienced fighters, "Yes,those fellows were programed to restore themselves after every defeat in two days resuming their intended protection of the tool you people call the Sacred Orb,they have a priority system over Enforcers." Woltar somehow understood the words of his queen, "I see,so if we can somehow control these knights,we should be able to force these evil beings out,is that correct ?" Elena nodded as Roger brought up an interesting dilemma, "That's great and all but how are we gonna control these fellas,the last time I checked,those things don't speak...do they ?" this question then troubled the aforementioned plan of assault but Elena remedied this proverbial 'monkey wrench' in their plans when she took out a tool that was too high-tech for Elicoor to have at the moment,it resembled the laptops that were used in the 4th Dimension.

"This is something that I had developed during my days as a developer at Sphere Company,it should override the Crystal Knight's programming,it'll then obey the user's commands but...." Nel knew the problem and spoke it out clearly, "You're the only one that can use it properly,correct ?" "Yes but I'll need to be at least 10 feet close to use the program on them-" Woltar got off his seat in excitement, "You will not endanger her Highness under no circumstances,do you hear me !" he exclaimed as he sat himself back into his seat.

Elena nodded in agreement as she produced a case and inside it were several lengths of cable wires along with a number of small transmission dishes, "These are transmission wires along with transmitters that I've fashioned from the items I've obtained in Peterny,you'll need to set these up in key locations in the shrine so that I'll be able to simultaneously control the security programs and restore the shrine's safety." Elena connected a short wire to a transmitter before Adray closed the case and picked it up, "You guys heard her,let's set up these things so she can do her thing!"

(Moments Later,Entrance Interior)

After setting up the receiver behind the now overheated Thunder Arrows,Nel tossed the spool of cable wire to Roger along with the case of transmitters, "Hey!Why do I have to carry all these stuff anyway!" Adray smirked as he walked past Roger, "Because you're the smallest and the least noticeable member of our group,you can sneak over to these key areas and set up these contraptions while we'll draw the monster's attention away."

Roger looked through the archway to see several Enforcers that ranged from the hovering robots armed with several guns to the Satan-like creature that used it's wings to fly about as their teeth were gnashing upon a little rabbit that had gotten to close to the dark being,Roger imagined himself as the rabbit and gulped at the mental image, "There's no way that I'll be not noticed!I'll be a sitting duck out th-Mmph!" Nel shushed Roger as she held her gloved hands over his mouth, "Shut up,we need you to be as quiet as possible while we distract those things alright ?" Roger struggled against the gloved hand as he said between gasps, "Yeah!...Just...one...thing,your hands stink!"

"What you'd expect,the blood of my kills are always there..." Nel whispered seductively into the little Menodix's ears, "..and if you do your task successfully...there'll be a nice reward for you..." Roger's ears perked up as he suddenly took up the spool of cables, "You got it!" and without the others providing the distraction,he just ran towards a pillar,hiding behind it before running towards the next one when the Enforcers weren't looking. Adray let out a low whistle as he saw Roger go through the next room after he had set up the transmitter(just a quick plug into the transmitter) "Look at that little raccoon go!" Nel nodded in agreement.

"True but let's not forget that he's reckless,he might bite off more than he could chew with this one." unfortunately,while they were talking,a Convictor had noticed them before it charged towards them, "Let's get this over with then." Adray smirked as he went into his stance with his Heavenly Spirit while Nel took out her Blades of Ryusen,charging it with her Mirror Slice attack.

(Meanwhile,Roger)

While Adray and Nel were keeping the Enforcers busy,Roger was sneaking around the rooms like a midget-sized James Bond as he set up the transmitter in the room before a spider beast caught sight of him but luckily,it was a weak creature which was promptly dispatched when he used his Saint's Halberd to cut it down the middle,exposing the puss-filled insides of the beast but Roger's mind was set on getting the 'reward' that Nel had promised him as he then sneaked around a Crystal Knight, _'Hehe,glad these guys won't attack if I stay away from them.'_ he quickly slipped past the archway,but came face to face with an Enforcer stood or hovered before him,it's tattered feathered wings flapping slightly as it roared in his face as a large wad of saliva plastered onto his face and to make it worse,there were pieces of a rodent,probably a rabbit's body parts still being digested in the saliva.

After he had wiped the gooey spit off his face with the sleeve of his shirt, "Well...that should scar me for life..." Roger said calmly as he picked off at what resembled a half-digested rabbit ear,he then noticed that a couple of Robo Gunners have surrounded him with the Enforcer as the biggest one and only one technique might save him now as he concentrated his mental powers for an attack, _'Whirling Heat!'_ Roger yelled as he lashed at the Enforcer with a whip made of Symbology energy,as it wrapped itself around it,before spinning it like a top and when it stopped,it had the look of bewilderment on it's nearly emotionless face.

"Alright!It's confused!" Roger cheered as the Enforcer started to turn on the Robo Gunners,tearing them apart while the others tried to bring the powerful being down but they all fell before the Enforcer's might,after it was done with the Robo Gunners,it roared and crushed it's own head by ramming it against the thick walls of the room while Roger gingerly placed the transmitter and cable wires before he went off to the next room.

(Later,Back to Nel and Adray)

"Hyah!" Nel yelled as she delivered the final blow to the Convictor before it fell onto the ground and dissipated into nothingness, Nel wiped the Convictor's slimy red blood off her Blades of Ryusen as she slid them back into their sheaths but she took them back out again when she heard light but audible footsteps that were running towards them, "I bet that it's the little furball running back here with the cables wrapped around him and crying his head off to get it off of him. Hahahahaha-Gah!" Adray stopped laughing as his foot was suddenly being crushed by a chunk of rock that Roger had grabbed when he heard the insult before he ran up to Nel with a big smile on his face as he jumped about.

"I did it!Every place in the shrine has been placed right where said they should be....so" Roger then looked expectantly at the red-haired woman as she looked at him with annoyance in her expression, "About my reward....so pucker up" his lips was then corked up by a lollipop, "There's your reward,now let's get out to inform Elena about this." she quickly dashed out through the exit,leaving Roger sucking on the lollipop, "Hahaha!She got you again!Ahahaha!" "Don't make me stuff this sucker down your throat." "Fine,either way,we got to meet Elena." Adray strode out through the exit while Roger followed,sucking on the candy before his face lit up with delight, "Mmm,strawberry..." he thought to himself while he walked towards the exit, _'Yummy!I like this reward too,at least I can savor it much better than a kiss'  
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(Royal Grace,Business District Plaza)

The rescue party had found the trapped people inside one of the stores in the plaza but unfortunately,so did the Drones as the mechanical beings were hacking away at the barricade that the survivors had put up but they won't last while the Drones used their pincers to attack the barricade. Trevor and the others were also stuck as their only way to the survivors were blocked by 14 Drones which were armed to the teeth as they fired barrage after barrage at the rescue party who were pinned down behind a large concrete wall that was being slowly blown away.

"Damn!We can't just stay here while we risk Her Highness' life in this onslaught. We must retreat!" one of the guards shouted but the next guard punched him squarely in his jaws, "Get a hold of yourself,we're proud soldiers of Eraklion and it's our duty to save those civilians!" Trevor nodded at this, "Your friend is right,the only problem is how we're going to get through." Trevor sent a fireball towards one of the Drones but it missed as he didn't had the time to take aim, "If I could only have a few seconds to use my fire spells."

The guards nodded to each other as they activated their energy shields, "Your Highness,we'll try to divert the Drones' attention while Master Pyris use his powers." Rosa by then had already changed into her fairy form as she shook her head, "No way." the guards look bewildered at her words, "You guys aren't going without magical backup." the guards knew that it was futile to dissuade Rosa from her decision as they relented to her wishes, "Very well your Highness,we'll leave the attack to you then Master Pyris ?" Trevor nodded at this, "You got it though just call me Trevor." the guards nodded at this before the two guards and Rosa dashed and flew to the sides,momentarily drawing the Drones' line of fire to them as the energy shields and magical barrier deployed by the distraction party defended against these shots.

Sera looked at Trevor who was currently gathering his magical essence for his attack,she never knew that the school's delivery boy had this much in him,she then saw him look at her with wide eyes as he dived at her, shouting her name, "Sera!!" he managed to pull her away from her spot before a huge piece of concrete crashed into the spot where she was, "Keep your senses with you,I need you help me gather enough power for me to use my magic." Sera nodded as she tried her best to remember her lessons back at Red Fountain but she couldn't remember any of it but she felt a pair of hands holding hers.

Trevor had decided to help Sera a bit as he whispered calmly to her, "Just imagine in your body,the burning fire that you wish to unleash..." Sera's hand began to glow an amber color as the heat in them rose, "...good,now concentrate on a corporeal form for it to manifest it in,a sphere to be precise..." Sera blushed at the closeness of the two of them as she then manifested a sphere of fire which changed it's shape slightly to that of a heart but Trevor hadn't noticed, "Great,now create a physical form for it while I transfer some of my powers to adjust it for my attack." Trevor shifted Sera's hands as he transferred bits of his powers into the crystallizing sphere of fire but without his knowledge,the Fire Knight also spread a little of his thoughts into Sera's mind and the thought was this when he had suddenly given the same thought to Trevor.

Both of them then shouted out, _'Flame Spark!!'_ the crystallized sphere of flames then separated in two which flew towards the group of Drones but not before turning into living fireballs that started circling the Drones which fired upon them but the heat from the lasers only made the fireballs bigger before they finally collided with each other,showering the Drones in sparks of fire that instantly blew up,effectively destroying the Cannon Drones and a sphere of light blasted away some of the surviving Drones and the guards rushed in to fight the Drones surrounding the store while Rosa attacked with her magic.

"I feel so tired..." Sera uttered out before she sat down on the ground with her hands supporting her while her back was arched,Trevor chuckled at this, "Yeah,we both used quite a lot of our powers in that attack,by the way...how did you know how to do that attack ?" his question was answered when a red mist manifested itself into the Fire Knight's image, _"I believe that I have the explanation to your questions."_ "Gah!Not here!Not now!" Trevor yelled as he tried to block Sera's view of the Fire Knight but due to her tired state,she believed that she was hallucinating, "Is it me...or is there a guy in red armor behind you." Trevor decided to check her for injuries,Sera looked at him while Trevor was applying Healing Salve to her lightly burnt hand.

_'What were you thinking when you came out of there just like that ?'_ Trevor asked the Fire Knight who was back in his mind _"I couldn't explain to you only as it also involves that girl,you two had just performed a Dual Spell Attack,a form of Convergence Magic between a sage and a fairy which can be only used by people who are deeply linked with each other"_ Trevor took this new info rather well until he said, "What do you mean between a sage and a fairy ? Do you mean that Sear is a fairy ?" the Fire Knight nodded Trevor's head as confirmation, _"It would seem so but her powers are unique but I won't know for sure unless she is in her fairy form."_

Trevor wanted to ask some more until his full attention was on one of the Cannon Drones that had survived fired a full barrage at Sera who was too drained to do anything to protect herself so Trevor used his powers as he jumped in front of Sera and deployed his barrier though like the glass,a few bullets had slipped through,hitting his injuries that he had bandaged earlier,opening and deepening the wounds. When the barrage fire was over,Trevor charged towards the Drone before his rage took hold of him and literally slashed the drone to ribbons,his energy left him after his wounds overwhelmed him as his blood flowed through the bandages,before he had succumbed to his wounds and into unconsciousness,he saw a swarm of Drones coming at him, "By the Flames of the Dragon Fire....help us...all..ugh."

(Rosa's Location)

After rescuing the trapped people,Rosa was helping the guards escort the civilians towards the mansion's direction until she had heard the barrage fire coming from Trevor's location,a swarm of Security Drones were coming towards them and in their way was Sera who seemed to be out-cold and the limp form of Trevor as he was face-down in a pool of his own blood, "Oh Damn it!Of all the times!, 'Incandescent Sphere!Light!' a sphere of fire and light was sent hurtling at the Drones which scattered to avoid the blast,causing only minimal damage but since Rosa had exhausted the last bit of her magical essence in that last attack,forcefully reverting back to her normal form.

And what a time to be worn out as she had found that more Drones were climbing the buildings at her sides,cutting off any escape routes into the buildings and the guards were far too distracted with the civilians to notice her plight, "Aww cra-" before she could finish her cursing,the Drones were hit by a hoverboard which the explosion suddenly torn to shreds while she suddenly felt reinvigorated as a calm light washed over her, "You know that swearing like that is unbecoming of a princess." Oliver frowned as he used his magic to heal Rosa, "But..the drones.." Oliver just smiled at her, "It's alright,just look." Argus who had arrived was savagely fighting off the drones as he swung his broadsword in a frenzy before he charged the sword with energy and impaled the nearest drone and sent it flying along with the charged broadsword which exploded a few feet away.

"Absolutely no one touches my friends and sister!You hear me metal-heads - NO ONE!!" Rosa couldn't believe that her own brother was right now fighting off a veritable army's worth of Security Drones in his state as she sensed that Argus' energy levels were so high that he should be out cold by now but Argus appeared to be fine as he used the Fire Arts to expend as much energy as possible to lower his magical essence. _'Damn it!I didn't use up enough of my powers to stabilize myself yet!'_ Argus yelled out the attack that he had used on Undine back in the Spirit Realm as fireballs gathered near his hands, _'Inferno 'Claymore!'_ the massive sword was formed and due to the excess energy made by the Dragon Fire,the size of the attack was that was larger than even the mansion they were staying at but it didn't meant that it was heavy as Argus slammed it into the mass of Drones as it created several surges of fire that engulfed the entire district.

Rosa tried to protect herself with her arms,expecting a burning sensation but she only felt a comforting warmth similar to the hugs that her older brothers had always given her whenever she got hurt while Oliver just smiled, _'The powers of the Dragon Fire never ceases to amaze me..'_ When the fire dissipated,the entire district suffered no damages from the attack save for the scorch marks that were created in the wake of the fire and the Drones were found to have been melted into pools of molten metal while a number of them were left with only the bare framework intact. Argus coughed a bit as he got the smoky air out of his lungs, "Man!I hate it when smoke goes into my lungs like that." he exclaimed while he hit his chest a bit harder to rid himself of his coughing.

When when everything was settled for the time being,the civilians were taken to the mansion by the guards and while this was done,Oliver had stayed behind with Argus and Rosa who were currently patching up any wounds that Trevor and Sera might have had on their bodies but Trevor was the only one wounded as Argus used his powers to heal them but after Trevor was healed,Argus had found out that he had only obtained a series of shallow cuts on his arms that promptly healed, _'What the ?'_ his pendant glowed for a moment and he found that the pendant has gained an second piece, _'Is it because of this pendant...the Red Star ?'_ "Hey bro,where's Reina ?" Knocked out of his thoughts,Argus turned his attention towards Rosa, "Well...um..Oliver,would you mind explain to Rosa while I check up on Sera's condition."

With Rosa's attention on Oliver who fidgeted under the princess's glare "Well,Oliver...tell or you'll find yourself blinded for the next 5 minutes." Rosa demanded as she held a 'Shiner' spell in her hand, "Umm..er let's se now,it began like this...

_(30 Minutes Earlier,Command Bridge,Oliver's P.O.V)_

_I had managed to get mostly everything under control,but when it seemed that everything would work out,another alert klaxon started blaring,I started rubbing my forehead as my head was pounding from all the noise earlier, "What now."  
"Sir!The mages in the engine room says that they are sensing something from the main engine core,we need to shut it down."  
Feeling suspicious of the engine core,I quickly typed in a few commands into the keypad beside me and a visual feedback of the inside of the engine core was seen and I didn't like it as a mechanical being was trying to break through the thick metal shell of the furnace-like core which was currently breaking through with each punch it delivered._

_"Very well,shut down the main engine core,but request that the mages set up as many barriers around the room before they leave. Get the remaining auxiliary generators online,we'll need them until we can safely reactivate the core." the bridge crew saluted when I turned to leave the bridge. When the door closed behind me,I broke into a run as I made my way quickly to the mansion but a Drone spotted me and opened fire but I ducked back to the back of a container that had fallen over during the tremors,I unfortunately didn't have any other weapons beside a small dagger that couldn't possibly pierce the armor so I tried a spell that my mother had taught me from the last time I had last visited her._

_I quickly dodged and raised my hand before shouting out the incantation to use the spell, 'Flaming Ember!' a small fire ignited on my finger tips as I snapped my fingers,sending a small flicker of ember towards the Drone which exploded when it was touched by the ember(think Roy Mustang) but the explosion was too strong as it blew a hole in the wall but fortunately,the Command Bridge was built just above the mansion and the hole gave me a quick route to the one person that might be able to stop the 'thing' in the engine core and jumped through the hole while grabbing an oblong-like shaped piece of the blown wall and put it under my feet,using it as a makeshift board while I used magic to manipulate the air so I could glide down on the board safely and while also seeing a crowd of civilians being guided into the mansion while a large number of Drones were converging on the Business District._

_Later,I had landed just in the garden and ran to the room that Lord Argus and Lady Reina were occupying,I saw them asleep in the same bed while all the chaos outside was happening so I did the only thing possible,I woke him up with a Zap spell,jolting him out of his slumber, "Your Highness!The whole ship is in chaos!We need to go to the Business District,it's being swarmed by malfunctioning Drones!" His Highness just stared at his pendant before he answered, "What are we waiting for,let's go!" I looked at Lady Reina as she slept. "But what about.." "Don't worry about her,she'll be safer here if you say those Drones are malfunctioning,there isn't a Drone Depot near here,only the armory which you'll need to visit while I go on ahead on my hoverboard." and with that,we left the mansion,I went to the armory while His Highness took off towards your location._

_(End P.O.V)_

"So that basically covered it,Lady Reina is probably still asleep back at the manor. Now please,allow me to escort Your Highness to the direction of the mansion while His Highness and I take care of things around here." Rosa tried to protest as she tried to use a spell but the Shiner spell had already drained her magic,leaving her vulnerable as she wasn't trained in the art of physical combat,the only form of combat she knew well was archery but even if she did had weapon,firing actual energy arrows was different from firing regular arrows.

"Fine..." she then got onto the Wind-Rider that Oliver had used to get here and sped off help with the evacuation procedures. "Is she gone now ?" Oliver turned around to see Argus along with Sera who had recovered,she was helping Trevor stand up as his had lost a loot of his blood from those wound before help had arrived, "Yes your Highness,we should go towards the emergency entrance into the Engine Core but why did you wished of me to leave out the part of our intention to go into the core to stop that thing ?" Argus grabbed part of his Specialist Instructor's tattered uniform and ripped the whole thing off,revealing his new outfit,it was based on the one he had worn when fighting with Undine.

"Because,I don't want her to be hurt when she's vulnerable and you two need rest,follow the guards back to the mansion." Trevor popped open a bottle that one of the guards had given him,said that if he needed an energy boost,it'll help and it did as he got onto his feet again, "You hel-helped me and even healed me twice at the cost of your own life and limb so I'll remain with you and help...and besides,I'd love to learn more about the the machines here." as he flashed a simple smile Sera just looked at Trevor and nodded, "I'm going too,you're my friend and friends stick together." "This may be great and all to have your friends join us but regular energy weapons won't help us much against the composite armor that thing's made of,the ship's remaining sensors recommends that we use phantoblades."

Trevor gave Oliver a weird look, "You do know that phantoblades or any Phantoweapons are no longer mass produced ,the only way you can get access to one of those is either you desecrate the memorial site at Red Fountain for them which is punishable by at least 20 years of imprisonment or have one made personally by those expensive Weaponsmiths on Zenith." Oliver then tossed a small package to Trevor and handed one each to the other two, "Open them." they did so and found Phantoweapons in their packages, "How ?" "If you must know,the Royal Family has connections with the current president of Vector Industries on Zenith,now please follow me and they'd be a waste gathering dust in the armory anyway." Oliver moved to a certain part of the plaza which had a number of Drone parts covering it but he just moved them out of the way which revealed a partially revealed manhole with it's hatch blown off. "Well then,shall we ?" Argus nodded before jumping into the hole followed by the others,to their destination of the Engine Core.

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(70 S.D.,Aboard the Star of Passion,Thomas and Sophia's Suite)

Thomas felt Sophia snuggling up to him which assured him that Sophia was still asleep,that is until he heard the door to the suite open and heard footsteps. Feeling threatened,he reached his coat and took out the Astral Blade before jumping out of bed in a hurry before he found himself pointing the tip of his sword upon the throat of a young man wearing dark clothes, "Geez!I went through all that trouble to find a magical source that's coming from an inedible sword,what a let down." Shinryu saw that Thomas wasn't lowering his sword, "Hmm,you might want to put that sword down mortal cause even if you try to slice my throat,I'll just duck out of the way."

While Thomas contemplated whether to test the stranger's words or lower his sword,Shinryu was having an internal conversation with his spiritual companions _'I say we rip this impudent brat's arms out and take his sword as a souvenir!'_ came the aggressive voice of Mera, _'Come now my sister,isn't that a bit extreme. How about we just take his sword and aim it at his throat just to say we mean business'_ Shinryu agreed on Kasua's more level-headed idea as he made a grab for the sword pointed at his throat but when he touched the edge of the hilt of the Astral Blade he felt a third presence which promptly repelled him as he was given a quick jolt of energy which made him pull back his partially numbed arms. Thomas continued pointing his sword at Shinryu until he heard a slight yawning from the bed,he quickly put down his sword and went to Sophia's side to make sure she won't wake up and see Shinryu who might make her go into another episode.

Seeing that Thomas had left his guard down,Mera immediately took over Shinryu as a number of reptilian features had appeared on Shinryu's body as parts of his skin turned scaly,his eyes turned red as they became snake-like,the tips of his fingers blackened and hardened into claws before a long reptilian tail sprouted from the tip of his spine and pounced upon Thomas,ready to tear him to shreds for messing with their energies when Shin tried to grab the sword but something unexpected happened when Thomas disappeared with Sophia and landed Shinryu's body on the bed,Mera moved her host's body to a leaping position,ready for strike at this mortal who had suddenly gained a magical aura around him as he once again raised his sword in a defensive stance.

Mera bared Shinryu's newly grown fangs before she attacked as Thomas suddenly found himself hit from behind but he managed to stop himself before he got too far from Sophia's now sleeping form as he had managed to coerce her into sleep and hoped that she'd stays asleep as lured he lured the now reptile-like man towards himself by doing the only thing he could think of at the moment:Blowing raspberries which was ridiculous as well as childish but it worked as Mera's temper got the best of her as she made Shinryu move in for the kill with claws swinging but then she felt her control slowly being taken away from her,as the voice of Shinryu echoed in the deep recesses of his subconscious, _'Mera!Stop this at once!Do you hear me!'_ Mera decided to ignore those words as she tried to block out Sinryu's struggle for control but Kasua interrupted at the last moment as she maintained the link between Sinryu and his body.

_'Now Shin!Stop her now!'_ Acknowledging Kasua's words,Sinryu sent out a spell that causes unconsciousness to their targets but as Mera was part of him,he was affected as well as his body suddenly went limp but he spoke a few more words right after he took back control, "..Sorry about that...." Sinryu turned back to normal before a number of the ship's crew members were heard running to the suite but not before Thomas managed to put away the Astral Blade, "I'm sorry about this Mr Leingod but this young man ran off suddenly from a crippled ship we'd rescued but we couldn't catch him,it was like he was running at the speed of light or something and despite being unconscious,Shinryu and his spiritual companions could clearly hear those words, _'Close but not close enough' 'Please Shinryu,help me look at Mera,she might pull another stunt like that again'_ although Shinryu was technically unconscious,he could still clearly hear those words as he smirked inwardly _'You have no idea,fine,let's see what happened..'_

"We'll take him to the brig for later interrogation when he wakes up,is there anything we could do for you while we're here ?" with all the commotion going on,Thomas feared that Sophia would wake up and start panicking so he quickly gestured for them to be quiet and move silently out of the room to which the crew nodded and when they were out of earshot of Sophia,Thomas whispered to one of the crewmen, "Call me when he wakes up,I have a few questions I need answered understood ?" the crewman nodded before they carried the silver-haired youth out of the door and just in time as Sophia started waking up,letting out a yawn, "What...happened ?" Thomas just smiled as he knelt down beside her, "Nothing much,just sleep and I'll have breakfast waiting when you wake up ?" he smiled lovingly as Sophia fell asleep.

When he tucked Sophia back into bed,the dim lights from the stars outside in space shined upon her,giving her skin an ethereal glow and he couldn't help but look at her as she slumbered,her lips looked tempting as he found his own body moving closer as the distance between his lips and Sophia's shortened but he stopped himself as he went into the bathroom where he filled the sink with cold water and dunked his head under the freezing liquid, "What are you thinking!She almost got molested by a person at the dance...." Thomas looked into the mirror and for a moment,he saw the silver-armored man which looked like he was chuckling but he couldn't tell since the helmet hid his expression,he thought he had heard the knight talking, _'Smooth move,heh'_ "Well who asked you...I must be going crazy." he dried his face of on a towel before he decided to prepare breakfast when he noticed that it was 6 A.M, "Might as well as to prepare her a good ol' English breakfast." Thomas reached for his coat and created the ingredients for breakfast, "Let's see,I hope she likes some fish n' chips with her roast beef...or maybe a plate of Kedegree and some Spotted Dick for desert." Thomas started humming a soft tune while he started cooking.

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(Diplo II,Cafeteria)

Jake,Zeak and Cecille were all gathered at a table,looking over the items that Zeak had attempted to auction off earlier,Cecille blushed when she saw a printed copy of the kiss she unknowingly shared with Jake in the Medical Bay which she promptly pocketed as a memento but tore the rest of the copies to make Jake and Zeak think that all the copies are nothing more than confetti now, "I have to ask you Zeak:What made you join the military. I think you're more suited to be a businessman." Zeak's expression became sour which meant he wasn't going to tell but that didn't stop Jake from telling, "You see,he's actually the son of one of the most influential man in the entire economy of the Federation and the most famous individual in the nobility of the Tetragenes race,Archduke Lionel Idonis,founder of Olympus Tech Industries-"

"-and as his son,I was raised from birth to eventually take over my father's company and marry a girl of nobility who will of course be chosen by my parents to carry on the noble name of the House of Idonis." Cecille tried to hazard a guess, "So did you ran away to join the military ?" Zeak started laughing along with Jake who then stopped and shook his head, "Actually no because if that was true,the Tetrageniots would've easily caught him by now and sent him back home before he'd even finished day one of boot camp." Zeak glared at his friend before giving a more clarified explanation, "To be more exact,I actually like being famous but the only snag is that I've got to marry the girl that my folks chooses." Feeling more curious by the second,Cecile decided to prod a bit "And that girl is ?" "Well uh...you won't believe this but its...Amelia Seraphim." Jake and Cecille then showed the disbelief on their faces, "No way!You!My goofball of a friend is engaged to one of the most famous singing duo in the entire universe,the Seraphim Sisters!"

Zeak frowned at tis, "Hey!I may be a goofball but Amelia is really my fiance!Believe it or not but she's really of Tetragenes Nobility,both she and her sisters are one of the few Tetrageniots that have no third eyes since their mom was a Felinefolk from the Expellian Nobles,their genetics rendered their third eye to become underdeveloped but it did enhance their voices." "Well,that would've explained the tickets you've had to their concert on Moonbase,I know that the tickets to that concert have been sold out for months,I should know,my uncle asked me to get them." Zeak and Cecille looked at him, "What!He was bawling his eyes out,acting like a baby. I had to shut him up about it but all I got was squat." his friends tried to imagine Commander Heinmann actually crying like an infant who didn't had his way but Jake knew what they were thinking and snapped his fingers so they'd lose their train of taught, "Don't,it'll make you want to squeeze lemon juice into your eyes to get rid of the image." They nodded in understanding.

"Now then,shall we dispose of these items or do you wish to remain a private ?" Zeak began tearing up photos while emitting slight moans as each item that was up for auction was being tossed into a box that'll be later be incinerated in the nearest Replicator where their basic atoms will be torn apart and become non-existent,a good form of recycling as the atoms will reform into new items later. Jake was about to snap a video chip before his communicator beeped,making him drop the chip which Zeak stealthily pocketed into his jacket for later profiteering. "What is it ?" Jake asked Kevin through the screen,since his communicator was still missing,he used the Bridge's communicators,

"I apologize for my interruption but there's an important call for you,I've linked it to your quarters." "Who is it from then ?" Kevin cleared his throat by coughing a bit, "It's President Scotts on the line sir and it seems to be urgent."

"Understood,I'll be on my way,just ask that the President wait a bit." "I'll tell him that,Lieutenant Stromwell signing off." Jake sighed as he got up from his seat, "Sorry guys but duty calls.." when Jake was halfway out to the corridor,he called out, "Oh,and Zeak,you owe us an explanation on your whole family troubles,you hear me private." this caused Zeak to pop a nerve, "What!" "You'll be back to a corporal when you get rid of those items." Jake raced out before a plastic cup of coffee hit the closing auto-door but it opened up again with Jake smirking and a Firebolt Symbology in his hand, "Missed me but just so you don't try to salvage any of those items,Cecille get down! _'Firebolt'!_ " the fireball was sent flying towards the pile of items that Warren't destroyed yet and half of those were turned to ashes while the others were barely saved by Zeak who now had a blackened face.

"Aww man!" Cecille giggled at this before Zeak salvaged all that's left of his 'products' which was only a few video chips which made him smirk, _'Hmmm,maybe I can use this...hehehe'_ he casually scooped up the ashes and scorched chips and photos and dumped them into the box and pocketed the two chips together with the third and handed the box to Cecille, "You go and dispose of these while I go back to my room to clean myself up,kay ?" When Zeak already left,Cecille yelled out in protest, "Come back here!I won't do the dirty work for you guys!" but her friends were long gone by then,leaving her to dispose the 'garbage'.

(Later,Captain's Quarters)

Jake settled into his seat before putting up the connection,the face of Charles Scotts appeared on the screen to which Jake saluted, "It is good to see you sir,what is the nature of your call ?" "I can't explain right now but I need you to come back to Earth on the double,a special gravitic warp gate has been prepared for a fast return." this abrupt command caused Jake to question Charles' decision, "..But sir,why?My forces aren't even done with our current assignment you've given us."

"I know but I require only that you return to Earth with 2 of ships from your fleet as escort,the remaining ships should suffice until we can send more ships." Jake thought this over for a while, "Yes sir but I request that only the Diplo will make the trip home,we've recently suffered the loss of a number of our ships,it's best if you send over my uncle Commander Heinmann to take over this operation." Charles remained silent,in deep thought so Jake waited until answer was given, "To tell you the truth Commander Cain.." _'Uh-oh,he never uses rank unless there's trouble'_ "..but your uncle never came back,we lost all communications with the Woglinde,though we did receive something that might grab your attention.." a video file was transmitted which Jake opened up.

(Video Start)

It started with a dark room which quickly was illuminated as a fanfare on trumpets and bugles were played out before a large emblem of a serpent coiling around a sword,the emblem of the Schilling family. The scene then changed to that of the former Brigadier General Schilling,wearing the full regalia of an army commander, "I hope that whoever hears this message,prepare yourselves because you'll all soon be participating in the grand rebirth of the Pangalactic Federation!" Schilling then stood aside to show his forces which consisted of soldiers with a number within the hundreds dressed in the red and purple version of Federation uniforms and behind these soldiers were mobile suits,the Zakus,each one heavily armed and they were all inside one of the Woglinde's hangar and signs of blood were evident as it was smeared quite clearly on the wall.

"This is just a mere fraction of my forces,with them at my command,the Federation shall be reborn under my leadership,instead of that weak-minded fool of a president that you have!" Schilling then lighted a cigar and puffed on it a bit, "I hope you're ready Mr President,cause after I'm done with the new dimension that was discovered by Heinmann,you're next." the video ends with Schilling laughing maniacally.

(Video End)

"Well then,what do you think commander ?" Jake balled his hands into fists, "The Diplo II will move out within the hour." Charles nodded before the connection was cut off. Jake composed himself before opening all communication channels on the ship, "Attention,attention all crew members of the Diplo,we'll soon be leaving the area to return to Earth,I'll leave you in the capable hands of Kevin Stromwell who'll be transfered to the Magellan." he shut of the intercom before he crushed the thin frame of the intercom's microphone in his hand,sending shocks of electricity through his body as he hissed in pain. "Damn it!..Damn you Schilling!...I swear upon the graves my parents...and my sister...I will DESTROY YOU!" Zeak,who had been by the unclosed door there since the beginning of the video took all of this in and decided to leave Jake alone for the time being.

Zeak was long gone when Jake stepped out of the doorway,though he did see a black smudges that was in the shape of a cheek to which Jake shook his head, "Oh Zeak..." "Hey there." Cecille walked to wards him with the box of 'garbage' and put it into his arms, "Would you mind helping me with these,a certain someone ran away from his responsibilities. So I'd like to get this done before the Gravitic Warp is started." she winked at him as he was handed the box to which he responded with a slight gulp and blushed to which Cecille giggled which for now,removed the hatred in his heart as he sighed in defeat and relief,following the ship's medical officer like a stubborn puppy on a leash.

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(Royal Grace,Service Tunnels)

Although the Royal Grace is the most sophisticated space craft in the whole Eraklion Fleet,it still suffered from a few flaws,one of which included an extremely pungent tunnel system for repairs that served as the ship's water filtration systems and unfortunately also one of the more direct ways to reach the engine core.

Argus and the others were trying their best to ignore the smell while Oliver guided them, "Yuck! And I thought the sweaty uniforms after drills smelled bad but this takes the cake." Sera complained while making gagging noises, "Why can't you just use your magic to make air bubbles for us to breath in ?" Argus stopped in his tracks but only for a moment before continuing his march which was a bit on the stiff side, "I'm sorry to tell you this but His Highness has yet to master his control on the power of controlling aqua-based spells."

"Why did you have to tell them that!You know those spells make me feel uncomfortable,that's why I transfered to Alfea,to learn more magic,so let's leave it at that alright ? Besides,we've got a colony ship full of people to save!" Sera slowed down a bit to be paced with Trevor, "Yeah,along with a certain girl we know." Trevor snickered at this but the little joke was interrupted when a few Security Drones showed up with their firearms ready to fire but Oliver snapped his fingers and concentrated on the Flaming Ember spell which exploded the drones into smithereens though it also evaporated the slimy fluids that ran through the tunnels,permeating the air with their stench,making it even harder for the group to breath.

"Geez,thanks a lot Oliver!" Argus coughed before he twirled his fingers in a circular motion which created a rush of air to blow through the area,clearing it almost completely of the pungent stench. "That's better,...By the way you guys." Argus turned around to face his friends, "Absolutely using high level blasts in this place,as Oliver has just demonstrated,big blasts like that might have killed us." Argus used the tip of his boots to sweep away a bit of dried sludge on the ground which revealed a tiny but deadly bomb as it had the emblem of Yoshinoiya's household, "Ah,I forgot about these,this is from the war lord's last failed attempt at eliminating the royal household,the records did say his assassins intended to blow the Royal Grace with the royal family aboard, though I thought the explosives were all retrieved years ago." Oliver was wracking his brain for possible reasons why the bombs still remained here

Trevor took the bomb and put it into a satchel, "You wouldn't mind if I took these would you ?" Argus shrugged his shoulders "Sure,why not. Though you'd better disarm any active ones,you hear me ?" Trevor nodded quickly while he smiled at the bomb like it was a new toy to play with,Sera giggled at this behaviour before running to catch up with the others, "Come on Trevor,keep up or we'll leave you behind !" "Right!" he tied the satchel to his sides as he ran to catch as well.

(Meanwhile,Mansion )

Sera had just returned with the guards along with the civilians,the guards left soon after to look for other missing civilians,leaving her to escort the civilians into the manor grounds, "Alright!Everyon please form into a single file and follow me into the manor where you'll all be sheltered until this incident is over." the people all followed Rosa's instructions until she saw a little doll fall before her feet and saw a child reaching for it,she handed the fallen toy to the little boy who smiled at her before running towards a girl and gave her the doll. "Thanks big brother!" the girl hugged her brother as he gave a goofy grin, "C'mon!Mom and dad are waiting for us!" the two siblings ran to their parents who were waiting by the gates. This scene gave a sense of nostalgia to Rosa as she remembered a fond memory of her's when she was only 8.

_(10 Years Ago,Eraklion Palace) _

_Rosa although was only 8 back,her innocent beauty had grabbed the attention of several noblemen who wished for their sons to marry into the royal family,even a number of nobles who were old enough to be her father were even audacious enough to even to propose to her for themselves,this caused several other daughter's of the court's officials and noble families to often bully her in jealousy. Not even her own parents could help her for fear that doing so might instigate an internal conflict in the noble class which left her often going to bed crying._

_Only two people were willing to help her and they were her brothers who'd kept the worst of the bullies at bay,letting themselves to mend scratches from the often savage encounters with the haughty ladies of the court,making them very close to each other though one day,Allen was sent to the military academy as their parents decided that he should become the future Man-At-Arms of Eraklion and Argus was sent to the Eastern Palace to learn how to control his Dragon Fire powers,leaving Rosa all alone at the Central Palace,meaning that she had no one to protect her anymore._

_Though Argus did leave her a gift,an incantation spell for invisibility,it made running away a lot easier though it couldn't keep her safe indefinitely,leaving her to fend for herself when the jealous girls figured out her trick. Hoping that her brothers would return soon,she goes to bed with tears that were welling up while Kiko tried comforting her,that is until the rose bushes outside her windows started ruffling about. Expecting it to be a stalker or something along the lines,Rosa prepare a ball of light to blind the unknown person in the bush. _

_"Oww!These rose bushes of yours really hurt you know that sister ?" out popped Argus whose regal clothes had been replaced by simple traveller's garbs and aside from the scratches made by the rose thorns,were torn in a few places where cuts inflicted earlier have already healed thanks to his powers though the shortness of breath he had showed that he had been running. "Brother!Here...but how,why!" Rosa helped her brother climb into her room,Argus promptly plopped onto the velvet sofa,took out a flask and gulped down it's remaining content,causing him to cough._

_"First,let me get out of this cloak..." after a while,Argus was now out of the cloak and sporting a simple outfit of a normal trainee mage's robe with linen clothing underneath, "Now,as for how I'm here,I used the invisibility spell to sneak out of the Eastern Palace and ran all the way here and the reason why,is to give you this..." he took out a package from underneath his robes and opened it to reveal a beautiful bracelet with a rose motif. "It's beautiful!Where did you get it...you didn't steal it did you ?" Argus shook his head, "Nope,I made this with my magic,I learned how to do it in a lesson today called...um...it's on the tip of my tongue...ah who cares,I made it for you,that's what counts." Argus slipped the bracelet onto his sister's wrist and she felt a warming sensation go over her._

_"What was that ?" Argus was in a cocky pose as he gave a goofy grin, "Yeah,that was the enchantment I had put into it,I had help from my teacher though it's filled with my Dragon Fire,it'll protect you from those mean ladies." Rosa smiled at him before pulling him into a tight hug, "Brother!" Rosa couldn't hold back her tears any longer as she cried,burying her face into his chest,before falling asleep with a happy smile on her face. He sneaked back to the Eastern Palace the next day,his visits infrequent but precious memories to her nonetheless._

(Present Time)

Rosa looked at the bracelet on her wrist,thanks to the power of the Dragon's Fire,it had protected her from those jealous ladies until she learned how to fend for herself properly,though it had lost it luster long ago though the protective magic was still there,though it's power has waned over the years,she kept it on for sentimental reasons. She sighed in frustration as she looked to the direction of the Business District, "Aww,forget it!" she ran towards the armory and thankfully,the guards were busy helping with the civilians,making it easier for her to sneak into it.

"Come on!I know this place should have at least one energy bow around here." Rosa then spotted a package that was in the shape of a bow,she didn't have the time to unwrap it so she quickly grabbed it and made her way out but she bumped into one of the guards, "Princess ?What were you doing in the armory ?" It was a good thing that the guard was a recruit,and a gullible one at that. "Ah,Rad,I was just looking for some Healing salve in here but I couldn't find any. Would you be a dear and go in there to look for some in there ?" Rosa put on her sweetest smile for Rad who flustered with his words, "Y-yes-Uh I mean,Yes princess!" Rad walked mechanically into the armory before Rosa jumped onto the Wind-Rider she had ridden to come here.

"Here I come brother." Rosa whispered softly before the engine of the hover-cycle roared to life which alerted the nearby guards who tried to stop her, "Your Highness!It's too dangerous out there!" Rosa only smirked as she conjured up a Shiner spell with her low reserve of magical energy and blinded the guards before they could do anything to stop her,leaving them disoriented. "Sorry,but I got to help my friends and my idiotic sap of a brother!"

(Service Tunnel Exit)

The group had finally reached the end of the tunnel complex and Trevor had found and disarmed over 12 bombs,some of which were covered in muck,much to the disgust of his companions. "Alright,we're near the engine core so we better get ready for anything,got it ?" Argus explained as he felt the energy emanating just beyond the hatch in front of him,his companions nodded,the whole group was so nervous that they were barely able to concentrate on the fight that will occur as soon as they open the hatch,Oliver typed in the codes to open the hatch. Fortunately it opened silently as they prepared themselves.

As soon the hatch was fully opened,the party went through it to find themselves not in the Engine Room but inside the very core itself as it was lined entirely with crystals and they spotted what looked like an almagam of machine and crystal of a giant pounding at the interior,trying to get out of the core, "Everyone...quiet,we better ambush it than face it head on." Everyone nodded in agreement as they steathily sneaked towards the giant (Author's notes:anyone got an idea for a name for this fella,I ran out of names after the last boss).

"Achooo!" Argus let out a sneeze that echoed in the furnace-like core and the gigantic being stopped pounding and turned around to face the source of the disturbance,Argus warily held his Phantoweapon,a longsword in front of him,his body in a leaping stance,ready to strike at the right moment. The Hybrid of machine and energy started speaking in a static voice, _'Kzz..Analyzing...Analyzing..Four targets confirmed...Kzz...Initiating Attack Protocol..'_ it's hammer-like fist on it's right suddenly grew crystal spikes while the left inverted on itself until a cannon was formed and aimed it at Argus whose courage faltered for a moment.

"Scatter!" Argus cried out before a full barrage of crystal spears were fired upon him,the deafening sound of blades puncturing flesh horrified his friends as the deep crimson color of blood was evidently seen on the crystals.

(Mansion,Reina's Room)

Reina was moving about restlessly in her bed before her eyes opened wide and screamed in despair alerting several servants that she's awake and apparently crying hysterically and calling out for Argus,the servants had to restrain her from leaving bed as they believed her to be delirious until she fell asleep again,softly calling for Argus' name as tears streamed from her closed eyes,somehow knowing that something has happened to Argus.

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(Andros)

Andros,homeworld of the Fairy Layla,member of the Winx Club. After settling down with Nabu,Andros became peaceful again after recovering from Baltor's invasion,restoring balance to it's pristine environment.

Unfortunately,the same couldn't be said for the current state of affairs on the normally peaceful Realm of Tides as the sea level has receded to reveal more land due to the effects of Ronand's machines as Nostrom observed the mechanical puppets as the necromancer had called them served as labour for the mining 'camp' that was more than a camp while Morak just stood behind him,keeping silent and unresponsive. The 'camp' was actually a large fort completed just a few days ago while the Army of Decay patrolled it's perimeter.

Nostrom's grip on his staff tightened when he saw Ronand walking up to him and his assistant Celina trailing behind him, "How's it going you old fop." Nostrom clenched his teeth together as he held back his desire to kill the boy right there and then, "Don't patronize me boy,I've served Master Kaleb far longer than you did and I'll be sent to damnation if I see you rise higher than I do!" to this threat Ronand only chuckled.

"I see,well either way,you've been ordered to help me on this world but not with the mining of course as you can see for yourself." Ronand said as he gestured to the mining drones that were carting out large quantities of ores of some sort. Soon, the warning for an attack was sounded, "Ah,I see that the Andros' Army is already here,there should be more than enough skeletons in the ocean depths to supply you with an adequate amount of undead to serve you,no ?"

Nostrom just huffed in annoyance before conjuring a magic circle around him, "Very well then,I shall do as you say. Come to me my undead minions!Rise from your slumber and serve your master!" some rumbling occurred before skeletons covered in coral rised from the sea,skeletons of sea creatures long gone roared as they prepared for the defenders of Andros to arrive.

(Somewhere Nearby)

Due to the sea level receding,the mermaids couldn't do anything to attack the invaders though it did create enough space for land battles to which Andros' soldiers could fight on but the Army of Decay was far more superior in numbers for them to actually reach the fort but they were able to keep them from attacking the populace due to the help of one person,a girl to be exact and she was standing on a rock that jutting out from the land,her raven black hair framed her face which would be best described as elegance personified as her icy-blue eyes stood out,observing the undead creatures rising from the deep.

When she finally took her eyes away from the sight,she turned around to face a number of skeletons that had risen from the ground,the girl just smirked at them, "Alright you boneheads,prepare to be defeated..." she grabbed the collar of the cloak she was wearing and took it off in a dramatic way,revealing her outfit which consisted of a white silk shirt underneath an ocean blue jacket embroided with gold that ended at the waistline,along with a pair of jeans that was protected from the knee up by a piece of enchanted cloth that was tied to her sides,making the girl look somewhat frail in appearance but looks can be deceiving as she pulled out two weapons that resembled longswords that was used to cut down a few of the skeletons before she revealed her weapons' secret as they suddenly spread out until a pair of large blade tipped fans that quickly dispatched the skeletal squad.

Later,a small troop of royal guards arrived at the site but there weren't any remains of the enemy to be found,not even a sliver of a bone but they did find the girl,sitting there innocently. Approaching her,the guards knelt before her, "Princess Anastasia,you shouldn't be here. Undead beings are reported being seen in this area. We must escort you to safety immediately." Anesha smiled and replied, "Then we must go at once then,mom and dad must be worried." They were about to move out until Anesha faked a gasp, "What is it princess ?" "I forgot that I lost my Signet Ring." Anesha presented her fingers that was missing the ring while it was actually hidden by her magic.

"Then we must retrieve the Royal Heirloom of the Androsian Family,spread out men!" while the captain had his attention turned away,Anastasia slipped away into the coral bed that was exposed when the sea level went down. "Alright Your Highness,allow me to-" the captain suddenly realized that she had dissappeared, "Oh no...not again..." he picked up a note at his feet which was written as followed: The name's Anesha and don't you forget it! "Oh princess,please don't do this." the captain sighed as he sat down on the ground,wishing that he could get an early retirement.

* * *

I apologize to my readers for waiting so long for this update,I was in a writer's slump due to a slight case of depression brought on by my grandmother's current condition but since she's recovering,I got back into this story though I don't know when the next chapter will come out so I made this chapter a bit longer to sastify you,the readers until the next chapter does come out.

Now onto the day's WiVo:  
This one will be on Jake Cain who will be making his way back to Hq will encounter life-threatening situations and you the readers can try to guess what they are.  
A.)Forced to abort the Gravitic Warp by one of the Stinger Factions  
B.)Engine overloads during warp and encounters a few Zakus that were in the area  
C.)Boarded by Space Pirates and fights them to keep the ship from being captured

And there you have it,by the way. Did I do justice to the image you have on your Ocs:Shinryu and Anesha ?  
This is Argus456 signing off.


	25. Chapter 24

Since my computer crashed,I'm forced to use my laptop to try and recreate as much of the chapter so it won't be perfect but here goes. Also,I apologize for being so late in updating with my grandmother passing away prior to my computer crash.

Disclaimer:I do not own anything in this story that is related to Winx Club,Star Ocean:Till the End of Time and any other crossovers found in this story but I do own the Ocs and the plot-line.

* * *

(Royal Grace,Engine Core)

The bloody cluster of crystals was the only things Trevor,Sera and Oliver could look at it as blood streamed from the base,staining the ground in blood,their body unmoving,their minds still digesting the fact that Argus could be dead but they couldn't remain like this as the giant robot's steps caused the whole core to rumble as they became aware again of the Crystal Walker as it lumbered towards them,it's fists now adorned with more crystal spikes.

"Come on!We can't let the prince's death be in vain!" Oliver shouted as he launched a few sparks of fire at the Crystal Walker which took the explosions like it was nothing,leaving only scorch marks on it's body. Seeing Oliver as a lesser threat,it turned it's attention to Sera who was still somewhat stunned by the whole situation. It turned it's arms into cannons,aiming them at her before firing a full barrage at it's immobile target.

"Sera!Watch out!" Trevor yelled before he dashed in and scooped her up bridal style and ran off,just as the projectiles hit but he couldn't relax yet as more of the crystal spikes were coming for him now as his legs increased their running speed but it barely kept him away from getting skewered as one of the smaller spikes knick his ear,drawing blood from it.

Sera was knocked out of her shocked state when she was scooped up by Trevor,it took her a while to register the fact that she was being carried bridal-style by Trevor, "Hey!I'm not a helpless damsel in distress you know!" Trevor told her to look behind him and saw the torrential rain of crystal spikes coming at them, "You know what ?" "What!" Trevor yelled in distress as he just evaded a direct hit to his spine, "I don't care right now,just run faster!" Trevor grunted as he increased his speed even further with his magic.

_'Zzzt...Zzzzt..TARGET UNAQUIRABLE...Zzzt...SWITCHING TO NEW TARGET...Zzzt'_ the Crystal Walker stopped firing and aimed at Oliver who managed to strike on the insides of one the cannon arms,destroying it in an instant but Oliver's success was short lived as it restored itself quickly,replacing the missing appendage with a new one which quickly inverted itself and fired another stream of spikes to which the elven advisor countered with a strong blast of air,that redirected the spikes in different directions,some of which almost hit Trevor and Sera.

"Hey!Watch it Oliver!You almost hit Sera!" Trevor yelled as he pulled out the spike from Sera's mantle while Sera pulled one from his jacket, "Yeah but you almost got hit in the ribs if your body wasn't so flexible." Oliver sent a few more sparks to the lumbering robot, "My apologies but we have more pressing matters to attend to right now!" the elf cried as he batted away a spike with a Phanto-classed Scimitar that he had taken from the armory.

A beam of energy struck the robot's crystalline shell,which was shattered immediately,stunning the robot,the three combatants looked to the source of the attack and saw Rosa lowering her Phanto-Bow as she pumped her free hand into the air, "Alright!I did it!" Oliver ran up to her and asked her the first thing he could think of, "Your Highness!What are you doing here ?" Rosa just put both of her hands behind her back,while still handling the bow, "Well,I came to help you guys and my big brother,that's what...speaking of my brother,where is he anyway?"

The three lowered their heads,unable to answer her question that easily, "Come on guys,you can tell me where he is...or is there something wrong ?" Oliver simple looked in the direction of the bloody crystal cluster,the streams of blood now pooling into puddles,creating an eerie glow upon the crystal's surface,Rosa looked at the blood-stains before registering the same fact that the others were still finding it difficult to accept to be true. "Your kidding right ? It's a joke,isn't it! Come on Argus you can come out now!!" Rosa grew hysterical as she looked all around the core room,trying to find her brother but the only other thing she saw was the blood-stained crystals.

Dropping her weapon,Rosa fell onto her knees,her hands limp, and her breaths shallow as she continued staring at the pools of blood streaming from the crystals, "No...no,it just can't be....no...Nooooo!" Rosa broke down as she started crying her heart out for her brother who she had cared so much about.

The Crystal Walker then regained it's mobility,to each Trevor and Sera jumped onto it's back and started hacking and slashing in a synchronized manner,dealing damage but they robot just beat them off with it's surprisingly agile arms,sending them both flying into the walls,knocking the breaths out of them as they crumpled to the floor as they moaned in pain. It aimed it's left arm cannon at Rosa but a small but strong explosion erupted in front of it,Oliver had gained it's attention as he had wanted, "Please Your Highness!Run while you can while I distract it!" but his pleas fell on deaf ears as Rosa continued crying,her sorrow too great to come over so easily as she continued crying.

"Damn it all!" Oliver cursed as he jumped back a bit before he started chanting and unleashed a strong but thin burst of wind that sliced through the crystal arm like a hot knife through butter but still the attack was futile as it just regrew,Oliver fell on his rear as that attack had taken a toll on his body but nonetheless he stood up again,armed with his Scimitar,Oliver used his remaining energy to propel himself over the robot and prepared to attack the cavity that was left behind by Rosa's attack but the Crystal Walker grabbed him with it's huge hands and threw him right into the wall,the impact was enough to force him to double over in pain when he tried to stand up, "Your...H-Highness...ru..run..."

Rosa's crying became silent sobs as she hugged herself,hoping for the hug that her brother always gave her when she's sad but no such hug came as her trembled,her eyes now shut,refusing to gaze upon the blood-stained crystals. With the two Red Fountain students and the Elven Advisor incapacitated,the Crystal Walker lumbered towards it's latest target,the grieving princess.

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(This segment is dedicated to my late grandmother,God Bless Her Soul)

(70 S.D. Star of Passion,Thomas and Sophia's Suite)

After some breakfast,Sophia asked Thomas something he didn't expected, "Thomas,can we go out for a walk ? I feel a bit restless cooped up in the suite." Thomas sighed as he rubbed his forehead, "But Miss Sophia,aren't you aware that there'll be other men aboard the cruise right ?" Sophia stood up and crossed her arms,her eyes a little pleading, "Aw,Tom,pretty please,for me." Thomas couldn't refuse when she was like that so he relented and grabbed his coat, "Very well,after I put the dishes away,we'll go." Sophia cheered as she went to help with the dishes.

When they were finished,they went out into the halls for their walk but Thomas made sure that Sophia avoided as much male contact as possible before they stumbled into a garden that reminded Thomas of home,there was even a Victorian-style gazebo in the middle of the garden. "Whoa,is it me or did we just went through a time portal." his asked no one in particular as he knelt down and gently stroke the petals of a pink Hibiscus Flower,Sophia laughed sweetly as she saw a pair of butterflies flutter by. Thomas then heard someone whistling a happy tune,he looked pass a few bushes and saw the person who was whistling, "Must be the gardener...Um,excuse me sir,can you tell us where we are ?"

The 'gardener' turned around with a watering can in his hand, "Pardon ? Ah,Mister Leingod,I see you found my secret garden." the gardener was really just the captain in overalls and a straw hat, "Ah!Captain,with that outfit on I didn't know it was you." the older man looked down at his clothes and laughed, "Haha!Yes,yes,this makes me look more like a gardener than a captain. Pardon me while I go change out of this." He walked a few steps before stopping and turning his head a little, "Oh and feel free to explore the garden and pick some flowers,it might help your girlfriend relax a little." the captain then walked away before Thomas could protest about his comment.

Thomas just gazed at the beautiful flowers,inhaling in their sweet scent but the one that stood out most was the roses,especially a pink one that he had to pluck it but let it be because it looked so serene,he heard laughter as he turned around to see Sophia chasing after the butterflies,she then bumped into someone,Thomas rushed to her side to help her up.

"Oh my,I'm sorry dearie. I didn't see you there." Thomas looked at the person who Sophia had bumped into,it was an old lady,who reminded him of his own grandmother, "I'm the one at fault madam,I wasn't looking when I bumped into you. I'm sorry." Sophia lowered her head and Thomas followed her example before they heard the lady laugh gently, "It's alright my dears,no one is at fault. Oh where are my manners,my name is Katherine,I'm the captain's mother,I hope you enjoyed the flowers as much as I do." Thomas and Sophia nodded before following the old lady to the gazebo.

There was a comfy sofa in the corner on where the two women sat on while Thomas sat on another chair a table with some tidbits were munched on when Katherine started a conversation, "I see that your girlfriend has a love for nature." Thomas choked on a piece of a cookie before washing it down with a gulp of his tea,while Sophia thumped his back softly,trying to help. "Thank you Sophia,I appreciate the help." Thomas averted his sights to Katherine, "Madam,I know that it may appear that we're a couple but we're not. I'm just here to accompany her and care for her,nothing more." Sophia decided to excuse herself before running off,her face happy but her eyes tearing up. Thomas wanted to follow her and help but Katherine stopped him.

"Please,let her be for now,your words have serious repercussions on a young girl's heart like hers. And from my experiences and observations aboard my son's ship,unrequited love is the saddest one among all romances,especially when the male is somewhat clueless or in your case,thick headed and too strict on your outdated code of conduct. There are loves that thrive even if the two lovers are far apart in age...or time" Thomas sighed as he sat back down, "I know she has feelings for me but I know that I won't be right for her forever....I have a mission to complete and to complete it,I must leave once I can." Katherine finished her cup of tea before getting up, "I see,but until that Time-Watch of yours is complete,you can spend that time making Sophia happy,can you not young man?" Katherine then walked away,her words sinking into his head, "I suppose so...wait!How did you know about my Time-Watch ?...Madam...Katherine ?" he looked all around the garden but there was no sign of the elderly woman ever being there.

"Guess now is not the time to worry about how she knew about my time-traveling. I've got to find Sophia and get the bloody hell out of this place....but where do I go ?" Thomas then realized he had wandered into a hedge maze, "Great,never was really good at this." he just started running,letting his intuition guide him through the maze of hedges,hoping that Sophia would be at the end of the maze.

(Minutes Later)

"That's it..." Thomas sat down on the ground before rubbing his forehead to rid himself of a migraine, "I'm lost...might as well do it,even though I hate to ruin such good hedges." he got back up again and dusted his coat off before producing a jumping pole similar to the ones used in sports but much shorter,he stood back for a running start before he jammed the end of the pole into the ground and pole vaulted himself over a few hedges and landed onto the ground but not without taking a chunk of a hedge down when he fell through it. Thomas saw that he was quite close towards the exit so he decided to try another jump right over the next few hedges but he was never that graceful at school so he managed to 'trim' a few more hedges and just as he thought he was home free,he landed into a pile of leaves and prickly twigs,moans of pains and aches were the only words uttered from his mouth,there was also the fact his mouth was full of leaves.

"Thomas ?" he looked to his left,just saw Sophia come out of the maze,her cheeks clear of any fresh tears,but soon more tears came flowing from her eyes but they were the tears of laughter as she doubled over in stitches after seeing Thomas covered in leaves. After spitting out the leaves,he asked Sophia why she was laughing, "Because you look like a cat with those leaves on your head..." Thomas shook off the leaves stuck in his hair and plucked off the stubborn twigs off of him, "Ouch!...stupid splinter." he pulled a sliver of wood out of his finger,tossing it away. Blood started trickling out but he had forgotten his handkerchief, "Um,Sophia do you have a handkerchief I could borrow ?

"No Thomas,I afraid I don't but I can do something about that cut." Sophia took Thomas' bleeding finger and a strange but calming feeling came over him as he saw the bleeding stop and his cut gone. "That was the only Symbology spell I know,glad that it came it handy,eh kitty ?" she giggled as she plucked two more leaves that he had missed. "Hmph!" Thomas puffed up his cheeks and turned his back to her. "It's not that funny." Sophia then jumped onto his back,her arms around his neck, "Aw come on,don't be mad,I happen to like cute kitties." Thomas' face was blushing beet red as Sophia's breath touched the skin of his ear, "Really now ? Then am I cute too ?" he jokingly retorted while walking around the hedge maze,Sophia still on his back. "No." Thomas stopped for a moment before continuing, "And why am I not cute as a cat ?" "Because you're not a cat,you're a handsome guy!" Thomas chuckled when Sophia answered.

When they made it back to the gazebo,they saw the captain was back in uniform and drinking a cup of coffee, "Ah,welcome back to the gazebo,I see that you tried to go over the hedge maze." Thomas slid Sophia off his back and checked his clothes for leaves and twigs but found none before seeing that his shoes had a piece of the hedges on it that he shook off, "Sorry about that,I was never really good at those." the captain laughed as he set his cup down, "I never really liked those anyway but that's one of the few things reminding me of my late mother." Thomas eyes went wide when he heard the captain's words, "Wait,late mother ? But we just saw her several minutes ago,her name was Katherine,wasn't it ?"

"What are in the blue blazes are you talking about Mister Leingod and how did you know my mother's name ?" The captain stood up and gestured for Thomas and Sophia to follow him. Guiding them through the maze,he led them into an open area in the middle of it,a single-statue was there,a statue of an angel,and below the statue was a grave marker with the name engraved on it: 'Katherine Jones. A caring mother and a loving wife and a lover of nature. Rest in Peace'

"So is this the face you saw ?" the captain asked as he took a framed photo that was resting on the grave marker and passed it to Thomas and Sophia, "Yes,this is Katherine alright...then does that mean...we had seen a ghost ?" the picture was placed back on the marker before the captain led the way out. Once they were out,a strong gust of wind blew through the area,rustling up the,leaves and twigs."That was one strong wind but...how could there be wind in a controlled environment ?" The captain shook his head, "I don't know,could be a malfunction in the ventilation system,I'll have to check with the engineers later. I suggest you two leave now."

Thomas ushered for Sophia to wait for him by the exit and just about to follow her before he was stopped by the captain, "Lad,I have to ask you,was my mother happy ?" Thomas was perplexed at the question but answered anyway, "Yes,she was sir,she loves the garden and I can see why." Thomas looked at the flowers that thrived in the garden. "Thank you lad,that might explain how the flowers didn't wilt after the month I was on leave,well you can get back to your girlfriend now." Thomas shook his head, "But she isn't my girlfriend,I'm just her escort." The captain laughed a bit before patting Thomas on the back, "Aye,that may be true to you but like my mother always said, 'Love can knows no bounds,whether it be distance,age or time,love will find a way' Now get going...oh I almost forgot, the young man we apprehended has woken up and is asking for you,ask any of the crew and they'll show you." Thomas nodded before going back to Sophia.

"So what did the captain wanted to talk to you about ?" Thomas saw a beautiful red rose in her hands, "Nothing much,just telling me to take you to the arcade,heard there were some games you might like. By the way,nice flower though it'll look better in your hair." Thomas took the rose and placed it into her hair just as it bloomed. "Now,that looks even better on you." Sophia touched the flower and felt the ruffles of it's petals blooming. Sophia giggled as she latched herself onto his arm, "So shall we go to the arcade ?" Sophia didn't answer as she was in bliss so Thomas led the way,hoping he won't get lost like he did in the maze earlier.

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(15th Militia Spaceport,Training Grounds)

Andrew Heinmann was checking out the extra specifications of the Cerberus as he read the manual, "Let's see,this controls the direction of the vernier thrusters,so if I do this..." he grabbed onto the controls and turned it forward then back,the Cerberus performing a thruster jump and performed a back flip and landed heavily on it's knees,it's beam rifles ready to fire. "Whoah...what rush,I better remember that move." Andrew cheered before he heard clapping from the doorway.

"Nice moves there Commander Heinmann,but can you please pilot the suit back to it's hangar ? The technical engineers still have a few modifications to make to the Cerberus." David pointed to the hangar doors. Andrew nodded the Cerberus' head and started moving to it's hangar bay that held the other three G Units. Reika Balfour was by her Nightshade unit,directing the engineers on the reconstruction of it's equipment,namely the wing boosters, "You there!Watch how you install that Conduction Wire,I hate to see even the most minor lag time of the booster activation sequence,you hear me ?" The engineer nodded and carefully re-attached said part. All of the engineers ignored the Cerberus walking in before it entered it's hangar,the docking clamps locked themselves on it's limbs and shoulders before the cockpit opened and Andrew came down on the pulley system on the side of the hatch.

"Well,well,well,if it isn't the guy that shot my Nightshade's boosters,why don't you help me out and fix it." Andrew shook his head, "Sorry but I'm no good at technical stuff like that." Andrew lied as he made his way out,he was stopped when Reika grabbed him by the shoulder, "Oh no you don't,you're helping me and that's it." he was 'saved' when David intervened, "Actually Lieutenant Balfour,I need Commander Heinnman to help me go through a few files that concern an important project of our commander's." Reika huffed in impatience and walked away, "Fine,but I still need those new power converters for the Nightshade's power core,just dig them out quickly,you hear me Schultz!Schultz!" Reika saw that David and Andrew had already left.

"So about that project,what's that about ?" David passed him a PDA, "Open the file marked ExoSuit." he did so and saw several schematics and data that overwhelmed him, "I know my nephew was in charge of several projects of the Federation's combat development but who knew he had this going on under our noses." David nodded, "Indeed but as for the purpose of the suit,I have no idea,could be equipped to normal soldiers for combat efficiency or perhaps a combat suit for commandos but for now,care to help me out in clearing up the debris here ? Those power converters are behind the storage room behind there." Andrew looked up from the PDA and saw several dozen people and repair drones moving pieces of debris and salvaging parts from a hallway that had caved in when Schilling's forces attacked. Grabbing a pair of laser tools and gloves along with a pair of goggles David passed it to Andrew, "Take these,you'll need them." with the gloves and goggles put on,they started working,clearing away debris bit by bit.

(Several Tiring Minutes Later)

"That's all an old man like me can do,I'm in need of a drink." he was handed a cup of coffee by one of his subordinates, "Here you go sir." Andrew took a sip of the beverage before spitting it out, "Blah!That coffee tasted awful." "Sorry sir but the beverage dispenser is a little busted so that's the only coffee flavor we have,black and bitter,here,put this in it,might help." He took a packet and sprinkled in some sugar,the taste was still awful but he drank it all down anyway and passed the cup back to his subordinate, "Thanks,let's get back to work shall we ?" he then accidentally kicked his tools that activated and hit a large broken piece of pipe in the corner that quickly broke away as the laser tool's beam burned away the metal,causing the debris to collapse inward,revealing the previously blocked passageway.

"Did I do that ?" Andrew asked as he picked up his deactivated laser tool before a few of the people working there patted his back, "You did it sir!You just cleared up work that would've take us days if not weeks. Come on boys!Let's get those supplies and really fix up this place!" they cheered before rushing in to get their hands on more proper tools but a gasp of surprise caught his attention. He and David ran towards the source of the gasp along with the people with to and saw something they didn't expect to be in a storage chamber. "Whoa...and I always thought my nephew was good at hiding secrets but this takes the whole cake."

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(Gravitic Warp Space,Diplo II)

After,helping with the disposal of Zeke's items,Jake had finally returned to the bridge and was seated in the captain's chair,his eyelids were drooping,sleep trying to ensnare him as his subordinates worked at their stations,since Kevin was transported to the Magellan,there was no one to take his place should anything go wrong. He decided to distract himself with his personal projects as he pulled up a screen of his exo suit project,he had forgotten the physical files of the project back at his Space Port but the data he had in the virtual folder was just as good as he reviewed everything in it, "Heh,why bother,I have one aboard right now." Jake muttered before he closed the file application,his mind still weary from lack of sleep.

"Come on Jakey,time for you to get some rest." Zeke came up behind him and patted him on the shoulders, "Yeah,Zeke's right. Please Jake,you got to get some rest." Jake was reluctant as he remained seated, "No...there could be an emergency...I need to stay alert...at all....times." Cecille was a little frustrated but kept it in check, "Please Jake...the others can handle them,please do it for me." Jake's resistance vanished as he finally got up,albeit clumsily. "Oh,dear,his body is strained more than I thought,Zeke,help me carry Jake to his room." "Got him,alright people,the commander is going to his quarters to rest now so please take of things here while he's gone,alright ?" the officers saluted before going back to work.

"Good thing the teleporter is so close to his room huh,Cecille ?" Zeke saw her struggle under Jake's body, "Hey,is he too heavy for you ? I could carry him by myself you know." Cecille shook her head, "No,I can handle it,besides it's my duty as the ship's medical officer to make sure everyone on board is healthy and well rested. Also,if I leave him to you,you'd probably carry him like a sack of potatoes." Zeke chuckled, "Hey,I may be a soldier but I'm still a buddy of his you know,I'd handle him all proper-like,also I'd hate for him to drool on my uniform." Zeke pointed to Jake's open mouth that was dripping a bit of saliva,Cecille giggled and wiped it off of his lips with her handkerchief.

But just as they finally deposited Jake into his bed,the ship started rocking about,making Jake fall out of his bed before an emergency announcement was made by one of the officers, "Emergency!We've been ejected from Gravitic Warp Space and are now in Conventional Space and scanner indicates there is an unknown-classed vessel about 12 thousand kilometers away and closing and boarding ships have been launched to intercept us!All combat personnel report to the armory and arm yourselves!" Jake groaned as he got back up groggily, "Damn...of all times to get attacked." he opened up a compartment under his desk and took out a stim pack.

"A stim pack ? Jake no,your body is not rested enough." he ignored Cecille's warning and injected the stim into his body,instantly giving his body a wake-up call, "Sorry Cecille,but I have no choice. If I'm correct,we're in the Meta Sector,a place filled with Space Pirates and that means we'll need more than just pulse lasers to pull out of this safely." grabbing his special communicator, "This is Commander Cain here,I'm authorizing the usage of all available armaments in the defense of the Diplo,I'll be joining in the defense of the ship." Jake went to his desk and activated a previously hidden panel and a large cylinder slid down from the ceiling,opening up the cylinder,a suit of armor was inside that was white with silver trims,Jake hopped into it before it closed and in a few minutes,he came out with the suit on,except for the helmet. "Sorry about this Cecille but please stay where it's safe,I'll be back when this is over. Coming Zeke ?" he put on the helmet and walked out,Zeke following him.

(Hallway,Near Hangar)

"Where you get that suit ? Can I get one ?" Zeke asked as he grabbed a pair of Pulse Laser rifles from a rack of guns and passed one to Jake. "I made it myself so this is the only one in the whole galaxy at the moment." a group of soldiers were currently firing into the hangar before they ducked for cover as a volley of laser beams came flying through the doorway.

"You boys need some help ?" his soldiers gawked as they saw him,walking up to them. "Sir,is that you commander ?" he nodded before he grabbed a discarded pistol,checked it's munitions clip before he put it on his side as the sidearm magnetically locked it onto it's armor plating. "Please move and cover me once I get in there." Zeke tried to stop him but was too late as Jake jumped over the makeshift barricade and shot the nearest space pirate before he tossed a shockwave grenade(1) into the midst of a few shocked pirates and soon they were sent flying all over the hangar.

"Whoa!That was intense and I was just watching!" Zeke walked up to Jake as he grabbed one of the boarders by the collar of his shirt,he was still alive and trembling with fear, "Whether you live or die now will depend on what your answers are,understood ?" the frightened brigand nodded his head, "Good,now tell me...which pirate do you serve ?" the pirate trembled before he gathered his nerves, "Ca..Captain Al ..A..Alphis Dracoy!" Jake tossed him to the ground, "Good answer,tie him up and watch over him so he doesn't try to pull anything and search for his friends and detain them too." Zeke went up to him, "What you're going to do Jake ?" He picked up one of the pirate's weapons,a carbine gun, "Me ? I'm going to pay this Alphis a visit." he climbed into the boarding craft that the pirates had used to come here and launched off without further notice. "Damn..alright marines,gear up a dropship ready!We're going to follow the commander!"

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Shockwave Grenade: Pretty self-explanatory. A grenade designed to clear away debris by releasing a strong burst of kinetic pressure,it is also good to take out clusters of enemies though the extent of damage becomes less as the targets are farther from the source of explosion so best combat usage is in small areas.

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(Elicoor II,Shrine of Kaddan Entrance,Elena's Tent)

When Nel,Adray and Roger entered the tent,they didn't expect to see the tent now filled with a large computer array and in the swivel chair as well as the computer was Elena who smiled at them. "Ah,I see that you have placed the devices at their specified locations,yes ?" Nel nodded before she gestured towards the computer array. "Yes,Your Majesty but I have to ask,why the array of machines."

"Oh these were needed when I found out the one I had was insufficient so we needed more computing power. I had the soldiers carry this in from Peterny,now please wait while I start the process." The three nodded and relaxed while the sounds of Elena working were heard,typing at a furious pace the computer responded in turn,calculating and producing the desired effect but not how it would happen.

"Oh my!" Elena leaned her head to the left just as a ball of energy started zipping around the tent,startling the three who quickly got out of the way of the possibly deadly energy sphere. "Don't worry,it's harmless...I think." Roger's candy didn't think so as it was disintegrated,leaving only the imploded plastic stick that used to have candy on it. The little Menodix threw it away like it was a contagious disease, "That's harmless !?" Elena put her hand to her face as she smiled gently, "Well,the merchant said that the computer used to be from a candy factory or was it a weapons munition factory ? I suppose it's better to avoid that then." Elena was in the path of the sphere but just as it was about to hit,it turned a sharp left and zipped through the tent,burning a hole through it and into the shrine.

"Well that went well,would you please ready the troops Woltar ?" the aged man looked at Elena with a look that said 'how do you remain so calm ?' but obeyed as he nodded softly, "Yes Your Highness,now Lady Nel,please wait by the entrance with your friends while I gather the troops to accompany you.". Nel nodded before walking out with Adray and Roger.

(Shrine of Kaddan)

Deciding to go on ahead since it would take too long to gather the troops,the group saw that several rooms have been cleared of any monsters besides the Crystal Knights that were ignoring them completely as they patrolled the halls of the shrine,except for one that went up to them,Nel and her friends prepared themselves but the being wasn't hostile as it bowed to her, "Greetings Maiden of Aquaria,I am here to escort you to the source of the invasion of these monsters." Nel put away her daggers as she asked the being, "Invasion ? Then there are more of the Enforcers ?" the Crystal Knight shook it's head, "Nay Maiden,the creatures that invaded these halls are far more powerful than the Enforcers,they had influenced most of the creatures here,ourselves included until we were free of it. Come,we need to stop this invasion before it overwhelms my brethren."

After a while,they had reached a doorway with a broken lock,Nel remembered that it lead to the maze chamber, "Thank you for guiding us all the way here but we must part ways,leave it to us to stop the invaders that dare desecrate the shrine." she entered through the door before hearing her friends gasp so she turned around and saw Albel,or at least someone who looked a lot like him, "Albel ? Is that you ?" 'Albel' looked at her curiously, "You wouldn't think I let you three to go alone in there did you ? So the name of form I've chosen is called Albel." Nel looked more closely and saw that his prosthetic arm isn't metal but crystal,she then realized it was the Crystal Knight, "Why did you choose to use that shape ?"

'Albel' walked pass her, "You see,I wanted to turn into the form you were most comfortable with,I had intended to turn into that young man with the blue hair but it seems you're more comfortable with this form so I chose this form but so as to avoid confusion." he turned his hair into a platinum blond with black tips, "You can call me Ble'al." Nel was a little uncomfortable as Ble'al was using Albel's face and that face was giving a smile the original wouldn't ever use. The group saw the large cubes moving,the carvings of demonic faces seemed to be taunting them as they passed by the group, "We have no time to waste with these trivial devices." Ble'al raised his crystalline arm and as if by magic,the blocks stopped and moved back and that wasn't the end of it as the large walls that were riddled in the room lowered themselves into the ground,making a clear pathway to the doorway to the next chamber, "Come,Maiden of Aquaria,we have to hurry as time is of the essence."

After doing the same thing at the second chamber,they entered the last chamber before the room that housed the Sacred Orb but what they saw there would probably haunt their dreams for a long time. Clumps of decayed flesh clung onto the walls,ceiling and floors of the chamber and despite being decayed,the flesh pulsed,pumping whatever form of matter around the room that was littered with either corpses,pieces of Armor Golems and upon further scrutiny,shards of the Crystal Lord, "It seems that my lord has failed." Ble'al broke off a piece of crystal from his gauntlet and crushed it into diamond dust,scattering it around the shards as a sort of memorial as far as Nel could tell. "Let's go,the source of the outbreak will be in there." he pulled out a katana made of crystal and cut away the rotting flesh that were stuck on the door,a terrifying shriek was heard as the clumps of flesh fell off the door.

When Nel entered the Sacred Orb's chamber,she gasped at what or to be more exact,who she saw and it was Luther the self-proclaimed Creator of their universe though he didn't look the part anymore as his limbs were chained up,his clothes that once shimmered and flowed was now faded and torn beyond recognition,part of the tears revealed a severely weakened and wounded body. Luther's facial appearance faired no better as his face was an unhealthy color of white,cheeks cut and bruised,blood mixed with his saliva as it flowed slowly from his mouth and his blond hair,long and unruly that partially veiled his eyes that were closed shut until he heard Nel's footsteps. "Huh..is that..is that someone come to finally kill me...?" Luther whispered out despite his dried throat as he looked upon Nel with his eyes that seemed to have lost their glimmer of life but when his sights focused on her,he cried out despite his weak throat.

"Please!Get..out!..Get away!...Before he comes back!..Gah!" Luther coughed out blood as his throat couldn't take the abuse but he kept calling for them to go away, "Go!..'cough' Go now...please I beg of you!" Ble'al armed himself, "Maiden,I sense a dark aura coming our way." the dark aura he mentioned came in a form of blood red mist that gathered around Luther as he kept crying for them to get away before the mist engulfed him,his cries became silent that worried the group. The mist then disappeared,showing a disgusting sight that might have even made Albel's skin crawl with goosebumps. Luther was going through what appeared at first to be a painful transformation as his body was wrapped up in the same rotten flesh on the floor of the chamber,he thrashed about as the clumps of flesh climbed all over his body,he summoned his wings,trying to get the flesh off of him but in his weakened condition,the outcome was decided long before the transformation.

Nel and the others looked away but Luther's pleading eyes kept her's locked onto him as he went through the grotesque metamorphosis,his blue eyes were soon replaced with blood red eyes,his head covered in a raven-like helm,his face now half-hidden,the uncovered half revealed a pair of fangs peeking out of sinister looking smile,pieces of segmented armor replaced the tattered clothes on his body,the lower torso held nothing,no flesh nor organs of any sort,just a thick spine that connected the torso to the pelvis that was covered by armor as well,the arms were in similar shape as the shoulders to the elbows are thick and bone-like and a piece of segmented arm braces on each arm that ended with small sinewy hands with claw-like fingers,the legs were similar in shape as more pieces of armor covered the bony-limbs of the unknown creature. Luther's wings then deteriorated into thin veil-like membrane that was tattered,hanging on an extension from the back of the torso,the chains that held Luther fell away as the new being broke it.

"Ah!Finally I have control over a vessel!" the new being let out a spine-chilling laugh that made Roger's tail to stand on end, "Hmm,who are these people ?...Bah!Merely some humans ,perhaps you can be a good warm-up for my new body." Nel and her comrades took out their weapons but Roger had to be nudged slightly by Adray before he picked up his weapon. The dark being began hovering above the air as spheres of dark energy gathered in his claws. His eyes glowed red as he laughed again, "Hahahaha!You fools think that you are a match for me ? I The Lord of ShadowHaunt!Shadow Phoenix,Lord Darkar!? Don't make me laugh!" Adray shook his head as he glared at Darkar "ShadowHaunt ? Never heard of it but I don't care if you're a lord or a baron cause I'm going to pummel you into the ground!" Adray hit his chest before he gathered his Symbological Energy for an attack spell. "Hmph,very well. Come at me with all you got!" Darker yelled before throwing one of his dark spheres at the group just as they began their assault.

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(A.N:Prepare for a long segment :) )

(Woglinde,Storage Room)

In a secluded corner of the storage room,Wayne set down his stolen food and water as well as a spare uniform all of which he had pinched from a supply ship sent in from the Crimson Noble. He needed the uniform as the one he was wearing belonged to the guard he had taken it from and that guard was found recently when a soldier was doing inventory. After changing his clothes,he sat down and tore open a packet of freeze-dried rations and wolfed it down. "Ah,that hit the spot,now let's see...better make a clear set of plans before doing anything else...let's see the first thing is to-Wahh!" Wayne cried out when he heard the alarms blaring and unfortunately,one of the klaxon was right above his hiding spot,deafening his hearing for a good minute "This is a state of emergency,the Federation's 14th Militia Fleet is engaging us. All personnel to your stations,all mobile suit pilots report to the hangar bay for mobile suit preparations.

Wayne put on the helmet that came with the uniform and ran out of the door that lead to the hall,it was filled with soldiers running to the armory,officers going to their stations at the bridge and pilots running to the hangar. An officer spotted him and yelled at him, "Hey you there Private!" Wayne put down the helmet's visor to avoid direct eye contact before pointing to himself, "Yes you!Get your butt over to the hangar,the techs need help with some labor,now get going." Wayne saluted as not doing so might attract suspicion before joining the stream of rushing pilots to the hangar.

(Hangar)

When Wayne entered the hangar,he was a bit surprised to see that it has been remodeled after that silly video recording Schilling had done here earlier,there were launch ramps now and Zakus,one after the other were catapulted into space,the ramps kept going except for one that seemed to be incomplete,a gruff looking man in red suit looked at him and motioned for him to come over, "Hey!greenhorn,come and carry this part over to that ramp,we need someone to place this thing into that slot,it should be easy for you greenhorn." the man tossed a big piece of machinery into him and he struggled under the heavy weight, "This...is..easy ?" He then felt it become lighter as another pair of hands helped him hold up the machinery.

"Thank you um.." the man who helped him just smiled, "You can call me Tyson,Tyson Argyle and you're ?" Wayne forgot one important detail of remaining undetected so he came up with the first name that popped into his head, "Um,call me Gerard Lanford." The gruff man overheard their conversation while he was carrying a crate of ammunitions, "You ladies better stop yakking and get cracking before I get over there,tear off your lips and shove it down your throat!" the two quickly got on with their work unless they wanted the man to actually carry out his threat.

"Geez,is he always this grumpy ?" Wayne put down the machinery as Tyson secured it on the ramp, "Well,Sarge is always like that,though the only person to get him really angry would be Griff over there." Wayne looked over to the direction Tyson was pointing at and saw a soldier running about,carrying tools from one technician to the other as they asked for it, "Him ? But he doesn't look like anyone you'd be angry at,in fact you should be proud." Tyson looked at who his finger was pointing at, "Oops,sorry wrong person,that's Simmons,a real hard worker but a real big suck-up to Sarge and any other officers." he then pointed to another person, "Now that's Griff,probably one of the most laziest soldier in the army,how he got recruited I'll never know."

Griff was a another young man dressed in an orange jumpsuit,sleeping on a chair that was teetering on it's back feet,but he fell off of it when Sarge yelled at him to get back to work,handed him a set of tools and pointed towards a Zaku arm part that was laying there in the corner,he went to the part and started working but when Sarge looked away,he opened up a hidden compartment,revealing a bed inside. He looked around to make sure no one saw him before hoping in and closing the compartment. "Oh yeah,now I remember,he was recruited because of his head,his plans helped us out on a few missions though the main purpose of those plans were to save his hide. Well,that's it,the part's installed and the ramp is ready to go"

"Lieutenant Argyle!Your suit is prepped and ready to go!" Tyson waved back to the technician, "Roger that,I'll be there in a moment. So Gerald,I guess I'll see you later then." Wayne nodded and saw Tyson run towards a white Zaku with a module on it's back that the others didn't have. "Hey,greenhorn!Get over here and help me move this fighter to that corner." Wayne nodded and started helping,even though he disliked helping Schilling's forces fight the Federation,it was better than being blown up by his own people.

(Aboard 14th Federation Fleet Flagship,The Typhoon,Bridge)

Vice-Commander Wyatt Einsworth sat in his seat as he surveyed the enemy forces engaging his own on the screen displayed. He was one of the few high-ranked officers left as he was a survivor of the Enforcer incident a few years ago when his captain ordered him and the crew to get to the escape pods before ramming the ship into two Executioners,taking them down. Since then,he had managed to work his way up from a Major to Vice Commander Wyatt had received this mission General Wincott had intended to give to his commander but he took it in his place. Wyatt was in charge of hunting terrorists in his region so he thought he was perfect for the job but as he saw his Raize Fighters being destroyed by those mobile suits,mobile suits that were part of a project that he had heard about once.

"How did those units come into the hands of our enemy ?" Wyatt muttered to himself but shook his head, "No matter,I'll handle them like I do with any other of those Stinger Factions." Wyatt clicked his tongue,a signal for his bridge crew to listen up,

"Alright people!Listen up and listen good,prep all our Raize Fighters and equip them with the EX Spit Fire Cannons,I don't want any chances taken,set the Turret Cannons on autofire,charge the Phase Cannons,load up the Quantum Torpedoes,divert any extra energy to the shields. Now get to it people!" the crew saluted before they went back to their seat to carry out his orders. After getting back into his seat,he opened up a screen that showed the Woglinde. "So,they've captured it,let's hope that her crew are still alive."

(Space,Tyson)

Tyson's Blaze Zaku tore through the Raize Fighters before they could fire with a pair of tomahawks with beam blades on the edges,he quickly pulled back his unit before the enemy fighters blew up. "Wohoo!What a rush!These guys are really easy pickings." his Zaku put the tomahawks away and took out a beam rifle when he saw another squadron of Raize Fighters incoming. Taking his aim,he fired three consecutive shots at them,taking out the first two fighters while the third shot was evaded and fired it's missiles at him,while the remaining squadron fighters fired their EX Spit-Fire cannons,making evasion not a viable option but Tyson remained unusually cool and collected.

"Heh,you think that you'll get me that easily ? I don't think so!" he flipped a switch and his Blaze Zaku arched it's torso forward,letting the module on it's back opened up,revealing over a dozen pods that fired off towards the enemy missiles,the pods opened up before firing off several dozens of smaller missiles and destroyed the enemy missiles and weapons rounds,clearing a clear path for the missile pods to the fighters,destroying them in a flurry of explosions. "Well,that was fun,better conserve my missiles." his Blaze Zaku then flew right up to the front of a stray group of fighters,the pilots of said fighters screamed,either for backup or their family just before their fighters were cut in two by beam blades. Tyson stopped when he saw a large battle-cruiser,and by the other ships' formation,he figured it must've been the flagship so he opened up a communications channel directly to the Crimson Noble.

(Crimson Noble,Bridge)

Unlike the average bridge that a person would find aboard a ship,the Crimson Noble's bridge was huge,several walkways were spread out through the large room,dozens of officers at their stations,surveying and directing the battle happening right now. A communications officer received a signal at her station from someone on the battlefield.

"Please state your name, rank and squad before announcing the nature of your emergency."

"This is Lieutenant Tyson Argyle of the-What the hell am I telling you for!You know who I am!Just get the Creation Distortion Cannon (1) ready to fire at these trajectories within 15 minutes,I'll clear a path for a direct shot through them." the signal was cut off so the officer had no choice but to relay the request over to the only one who could authorize that request as she connected an internal communications line to Schilling.

All the way at the back of the room sat Schilling on a throne-like command seat,drinking a glass of blood-red wine,surrounded by four of his most trusted officers who were also his bodyguards,a transmission was then sent to his control panel,after going through the message,he smiled as he drank a bit more of wine before pulling up a view of Tyson's battle, "Intriguing,that boy has quite a lot of ferocity and the galls to give me orders. Very well,I'll listen to him because I'm in a good mood. Get the C.D.C ready for firing." one of his bodyguards saluted before walking off to get the preparations of the C.D.C ready.

(Crimson Noble,Exterior Hull)

Although the dark ship looked foreboding enough as it is,it opened up on one section as a massive cannon similar to the Federation's Creation Cannon slid out but unlike the ones used by the Federation,except it had no muzzle to fire from,it just split in half from front to back and slid apart. When it stopped,it looked like a pair of fangs,morbidly suiting for a ship called the Crimson Noble,it hummed to life as it began charging up it's energy level.

(Tyson/Blaze Zaku)

"Come on!Come on!Come and get me you wimps!You can't even shoot the broadside of a space station!" Tyson taunted over an open channel and in response to that insult,a group of over twenty Raize Fighters came at him,firing their weapons at him,even with the Blaze Zaku's armor it probably won't survive the barrage so he hightailed it out of their firing range but the already angry pilots pursued him and unfortunately a dozen more fighters joined in the pursuit since he was the only enemy cocky enough to charge into their turf.

Tyson made his mobile suit dodge another barrage but barely as a few shots nicked his mobile suit,he then made the Blaze Zaku perform a 360 degree turn and fired his missile pods which managed to put a dent in their number, "Great!Only one more salvo left before I run out,maybe I shouldn't have taunted them like that." the Blaze Zaku took out it's beam rifle,ready to go in guns blazing.

"Yeah,maybe you should have kept your mouth shut Argyle. Looks like I'll need to help you out." five large beam blasts hit the large clusters of Raize Fighters,taking out large chunks of their numbers before a chain reaction of explosions took them out for good. The Blaze Zaku turned around to see a Zaku with a light blue color scheme that was carrying a large beam cannon in it's mechanical arms,a module on it's back connected itself to the weapon,obviously the power source of the weapon.

"Leonard ? Is that you...thanks man!"

"That's Church!Only Allison can call me by my first name!You hear me Argyle!" but Tyson wasn't listening as he was completely concentrated on getting to the the Federation fleet's flagship,evading shots from the fighters which he cut up with his beam tomahawks when he passed them.

"Hmph. Just don't get in the way of my shots cause I'm not stopping if you do,come on Blaster Zaku!" the eyes of the Blaster Zaku flared as it took aim with the beam cannon and fired two short burst of beam energy,the shots went for a battle cruiser's engine,the first shot hit the shields,the second penetrated the energy fields and hit the engine.

With the ship crippled,Church set his sights on another ship and did the same thing to it as it's power died,making the ship an easy target. "Huh ?An emergency announcement ?" he turned on the message being sent out, "This is the Crimson Noble,Lord Schilling has decided to fire the Creation Distortion Cannon,please evacuate yourselves from the immediate area within 10 minutes." Church connected his com channel to the announcer's station.

"Who's the idiot that asked for the C.D.C to be fired ?" he only got the answer from a profile popping up in the screen.

"Argyle,I should have known. Give me 20 minutes to retrieve one of my squad members."

"You only have 15 minutes,no more." the signal was cut off before he could protest.

"Damn!Tucker!Caboose!Get over here,I need some help." a few seconds later,two more Zakus joined his Blaster Zaku.

"What do you need Church,escort your suit back to the ship so you can come back the triumphant hero ?" Tucker's words were dribbled in sarcasm before his Zaku shot at an incoming Raize Fighter but missed as the beam deflected off of several pieces of debris before actually hitting the fighter,destroying it.

"Nice shot Tucker,can you teach me that later ?" came the carefree voice of Caboose as his Zaku waved it's free hand at Church's suit to which Church just sighed at.

"Yeah...sure Caboose,later. So what do you need Church ?"

"See Argyle over there ?" Tucker looked towards Tyson's Zaku.

"Yeah so?...Is he going to try that stunt he's been telling us he'll do ?" Caboose just letting out 'Ooohs' and 'Aaahs' at the incredible moves Tyson was pulling off,ducking and weaving between enemy fighters and still avoid the amount of fire power from the battle cruisers around him.

"Afraid so,I'll need you two to cover me while I go in there and get him out of there before the C.D.C fires. Ok ?"

"Fine,but can I have a beam cannon after this ?"

"No." came Church's curt reply and turned off his communicator before Tucker could whine some more.

"Great,just great. Alright Caboose,you give me some cover."

"Cover ? But I thought we were suppose to cover Church ." Caboose then saw a few more fighters closing in on them but Tucker had already ran off.

"Tucker!I can't take on these many units!" his suit's alarmed blared as another fighter was coming at him from behind but decided to try something as he took out a large barrel-shaped item then tossed them in between a few fighters but they ignored it as they thought it was nothing but Caboose activated the remote self-destruct,setting off the grenade.

The explosion either destroyed the fighters or disorient the pilots of the ones that weren't destroyed but before they could get back on the offensive,Caboose shot them down. "Hey!Wait for me!"

(Typhoon,Bridge)

"Sir!The Hunter's engines have been crippled and we've just lost communications with the Archer!"

"Tell the Hunter's crew to evacuate to their escape pods and re-establish our com-link with the Archer and tell them to get to their escape pods as well." Wyatt replied as he surveyed the front line,seeing his cruisers and fighters being bested by the enemy,until one of the officers called out with an emergency.

"Sir!Scanners has detected an enemy unit coming right at us at full speed,there are three additional contacts just a few kilometers behind it. What are your orders sir ?" Wyatt panicked a little when he heard that four of these mobile suits were coming, _'If even one of those gets close,we're finished!'_

"Damn!Concentrate all frontal Phase Cannon fire on that unit!Load up the Quantum Torpedoes!Tell all nearby fighters to intercept it. Take down that unit before he gets to us. Get the turrets to target the three behind the first unit. Now!" Wyatt shouted out his orders as the officers worked in a feverish pitch,carrying out their orders as fast as they could but that white Zaku kept evading them,while also taking out Raize Fighters intercepting it.

"Quantum Torpedoes ready sir!"

"Good,get ready for a spiker attack." Wyatt had a plan,a plan that his officers had seen him pull out with optimal success on several occasions.

"Roger!Ready to fire on your orders."

The white Zaku kept evading as the Phase Cannons increased their firing rate,forcing it to concentrate only on them as it somehow let a squadron of Raize Fighter hit it's shoulder shields before they were torn up by the unit's missile attack.

"Now!Fire the torpedoes!" Wyatt yelled out as the button for the torpedoes was pushed.

(Tyson/Blaze Zaku)

"Damn,that was close." Tyson cursed as he checked the status of his shoulder shields but couldn't check it completely as he quickly evaded another round of Phase Cannon shots. Tyson felt that it was getting hotter as his suit got burned slightly by barely dodging a shot but that wasn't the end of his troubles as he was soon faced with another barrage of Phase Cannon shots that were accompanied by Quantum Torpedoes,giving him no room to evade as the wall of energy shots consumed the Blaze Zaku.

(Typhoon,Bridge)

"We did it!We shot him down!" one officer cheered as the crew's morale was boosted though Wyatt seemed apprehensive at their premature celebration so he slammed his fist on the controls.

"Don't get full of yourselves!We don't know if that attack did kill off that enemy." Wyatt saw his officers were unconvinced.

"Sir,we hit it with a full barrage of our weapons,there's no way it could still be around. Now let's get back to our duties and take out those terrorists!" the other crew members cheered as they went back to their stations.

"No,I have a different order for everyone." he turned on the intercom system of the ship.

"This is Vice-Commander Wyatt Einsworth and I'm giving all of you a Priority Alpha order." the officers collectively gasped as Priority Alpha orders are ones that every single individual in the Federation were taught during training were to be followed absolutely to the letter and should only be issued during emergencies and could only be overridden by higher ranking officers so they all waited with bated breaths for the order.

"I'm ordering everyone to evacuate to the escape pods and get to safety. I repeat. I'm ordering everyone to evacuate to the escape pods. If there are not enough escape pods,go to the shuttle bays,the shuttles should suffice for that purpose. That is all." he looked at his officers who were all looking at him with shocked expressions.

"Sir!What are you saying ?We can still fight,there's still a way to win this,I know it!" everyone voiced the same reasons but Wyatt just shook his head, "I believe that you should know who our enemy is....Are any of you familiar with the name Schilling ?" a few shook their heads but the rest nodded,a grim expression on their faces, "You don't mean that he's the one leading that fleet against us,that's ludicrous! Schilling is dead!"

"From the mission briefing I received from General Wincott's aide,Major Stevens and the appearance of these mobile suits,it could be no one else,now please evacuate to the escape pods while I divert all weapons control to my end." he started typing furiously,inputting commands as most of the other computer stations in the bridge shut down,their functions now in Wyatt's control. "Well,you heard the Vice Commander,it's a Priority Alpha so let's go." a female officer called out as they all left with her as the last one in the room with Wyatt.

"Wyatt,I know what you're going to do and it's reckless." Wyatt just nodded silently.

"You and I both know as survivors of the Enforcer incident that there's no other way around this mess."

"But that's no reason for you to pull that stupid stunt my brother did!"

"I know what Victor did was foolish but he was the captain and went down with the ship,saving our lives. I'm sorry Ashley,but I must do this,now go before-" Ashley then kissed him,her lips pressing against his before she let go and walked slowly towards the doorway, "Please Wyatt,I don't want to lose anyone else."

"I'm sorry but I have business to attend to." Wyatt returned to the controls when the scanner detected an enemy unit coming in for an attack run.

(Tyson/Blaze Zaku)

"Gah!That was a really close shave. Damn!If you think you can bring me down down that easily,you thought wrong!" the Blaze Zaku's red eye flared as it came out of the smoke created by the explosion,it's armor damaged slightly but it's module was missing as it was ejected earlier to intercept those attacks.

The enemy flagship started firing again but at a more intense pace as he found it slightly harder to evade them but he took out a number of the Phase Cannons with a well thrown grenade, "Odd,I thought the shields would be up. Meh whatever helps." he started firing his beam rifle,hitting the hull and destroying additional turret guns. The ship's slow moving weapons were no match for the dexterity and maneuverability of his mobile suit as it threw a few more grenades,one grenade strayed off into the flight path of an escape pod.

Tyson wanted to stop it as he didn't want to kill anyone that couldn't fight back but he couldn't exactly stop and get the grenade as the Phase Cannons just locked on him. The Blaze Zaku shot one of the cannons before flying off to another part of the ship though he saw one of the previously inactive turrets shoot the grenade,sending it into a premature explosion before the pod could get into the blast radius. "Though I hate to compliment an enemy,great shot! But it's time I finished this!" the Blaze Zaku put away it's rifle and took out it's beam tomahawks,ready for an attack.

(Typhoon,Bridge)

Wyatt panted as he just barely saved an escape pod but quickly returned his concentration on fighting the mobile suit that has somehow vanished from the scanners.

"No matter,I'll just ram the ship into Schilling's forces. Full power to shields,engine core on maximum..Gah!" Wyatt yelled out when someone hit him on the head and just before he blacked out,he heard someone call out, "Sorry about this Wyatt but I'm not losing anyone else I love." A teleportation ring circled them before they vanished just as the white Zaku came up to the bridge.

(Tyson/Blaze Zaku)

"Huh ?No one's in here eh,guess they ran off. They're bigger wimps than the guys back at my days at Bachtain...oh well." Tyson just made the Blaze Zaku slice through the bridge area,destroying it but somehow leaving the rest of the ship intact,the shockwave sent the mobile suit flying a several feet away but Tyson just whistled "Sweet!Though not as cool as I expected it to be,might as well get back to the ship for dinner...eh ?" he saw that the boosters were off so he tried reigniting it but had no result,he checked his suit's stats and saw that the booster system has been fried.

"Great,just great I'm stranded...wait! I'm stranded and I'm still in the firing range of the C.D.C!" he tried making the Blaze Zaku move by making it perform swimming motions of sorts but it did nothing more than make him look really silly. After a few more failed attempts,he gave up as he removed his helmet,letting his sweat-soaked hair dangle slightly in the weightless cockpit,brushing his gloved hand through his locks of hair, "Guess I'll never get to apologize to Esteed and those two Leingods...oh well."

(Crimson Noble)

The officer who had gone off to prepare the C.D.C had returned with a long box made of polished wood and opened it up,revealing a cane that was presented to Schilling who took it before he flipped opened the head of the cane,a button was in it.

"The limiter of the C.D.C has been removed up to 10 percent. As you requested Lord Schilling." Schilling smiled in a crazed manner as he placed his thumb over the button.

"Have a taste of my power,you fools." Schilling pushed the button,initiating the weapon's activation.

The C.D.C gathered it's energy levels into a single red sphere of energy,tendrils of intense power swirled around it before it was unleashed in a wave of energy that spread out from there towards the Federation's 14th Militia Fleet.

(Hunter)

Unlike the Typhoon,the Hunter's entire crew were still in the middle of evacuation when the Creation Distortion energy wave hit them,at first nothing happened but then they began hearing a painful ringing noise in their head,their nerves starting to overload with pain before their organs began heating up,as if they were being broiled from the inside..

"Wh..What's hap-happening to...us ?" a soldier groaned as he tried to stand but that would be the last thing he would do as his body suddenly went into an uncontrollable spasm,a sickening pop was heard when the soldier combusted.

The others were met with the same fate,several unlucky few had to suffer before they met their end,others either just imploded only seconds after the ringing and feeling only a moment's notice of pain or were even luckier as they combusted without feeling anything.

Nothing remained of the ones that died,not even a sliver of bone nor even a strand of sinew was left,nothing except the particles of blood floating around the now weightless environment and the deep rusty smell that came with the red liquid that used to be in living vessels that no longer existed.

(Crimson Noble)

The crew of the other ships that were in the range of the dark red energy wave met the same fate as their screams of pain and agony accompanied by the sickening sounds of bursting were heard over the strong com system that Schilling had.

"Yes!Yes!Sing!Sing the Song of Death to me!Let me hear your addictive notes!Sing to me!Ahahahaha!" Schilling laughed as he heard the screams,his laughter intensified with each scream or 'pop' heard as he sipped his glass of wine after every few 'pop' like a vampire drinking blood,the laughter unnerved many of the crew members within earshot but Schilling's guards remained stoic as they were used to his behavior.

(Tyson/Blaze Zaku)

Tyson smoothed his hair over and relaxed a bit as he saw the wave of energy coming, "Oh well,if I die,might as well die looking good." the Zaku's alarm sensors blared as he closed his eyes,ready to meet his maker but he then felt a quick jolt as he tumbled a bit in the cockpit before the alarms became silent.

Unwilling to find out if he's really dead by his own eyes,he just asked no one in particular, "Am I dead ?"

"After all that telling us about how you'll meet that girl and those two guys again and apologize to them. I'll be damned if you die now" Tyson opened his eyes to see he was still in his Zaku's cockpit.

"Leonard ?" he turned his suit's optical sensors on the Zakus that had rescued him.

"I told you that only Allison can call me that!Why I oughta!...You know what Argyle,I fucking hate you."

"I know,I know...Hey Caboose,Tucker,is that you ?"

"Yep,it is I Tucker,your savior and in gratitude,why don't you get me a nice drink when we get to the cafeteria,and maybe let me have your beam cannon module?"

"No way,you'd probably came for me because Church told you so,am I right ?"

"Tyson's got you there Tucker,and you owe me a week of free lunches for not helping me fight those fighters." came Caboose's voice as Tucker grunted.

"What can I say,I'm a lover,not a fighter." the group had to smother their laughter at this. "What ?"

"I don't know how to say this Tucker but you're not much of a lover from what the girls back home say." some more laughter at Tucker's expense erupted as they made their way back to the Woglinde.

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Creation Distortion Cannon:A powerful weapon in the possession of the ex-Brigadier Schilling,the weapon as already demonstrated has the capability to kill the crews of enemy ships through an unknown method that induces internal combustion and couple that with it's large firing range,it is a very deadly weapon though the full capability of the Creation Distortion Cannon is unknown as only 10 percent of it's full power was used.

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(Royal Grace,Engine Core)

Rosa continued crying as the Crystal Walker loomed over her,making her look up at it,her eyes red and swollen from her crying,glared daggers at it but no effect was seen as it was not programmed with emotions. "You!You're the one that killed big brother! Magic Winx!" she then transformed into her fairy form but her light was dimmed as she hasn't fully recovered yet but she didn't care as she pulled on the energy string of her Phantobow.

"I'll never forgive you!Arrow of Light!" Rosa declared as she charged the beam of energy with her light powers,turning it into a solid white arrow with a silver arrowhead and golden shaft before launching it spiraling into the gaping cavity that she had made earlier,hitting it's mark which resulted in a blinding explosion as Rosa finally spent her reserve of energy as she returned to her normal state and fell to the ground,hoping that she had avenged her brother as the mere thought about him made her cry some more.

"Argus...why...did you die....I..." she then heard more rumbling from the dust cloud and out came the Crystal Walker,the damage inflicted by her attack filled in,it looked even more menacing than before, "Oh dear lord,why...won't you stay down ..." Rosa tried to stand up to use her weapon but couldn't as she was too weak to even hold her bow. "Please,brother give me strength..." she slowly got up again and pulled on the Phantobow and fired the only shot she could do before she collapsed again.

The shot was merely deflected with a single crystal spike before it continued lumbering towards her,it's arms growing more spikes,making it more deadlier than ever. Just like before the Crystal Walker loomed over Rosa who was still struggling to rise up, "...Please...big..brother...help me...." the Crystal Walker raised both it's fists,ready to do her in once and for all. "....at least...I'll go...where you are....soon." and down came the two fists.

_'Clang!'_ "...Wh..what ?..." Rosa opened up her eyes and saw to her joy and relief was her brother,holding off the two fists with a red broadsword,though unlike the energy weapons,he usually used,it was solid metal with runes inscribed on it,though that was what the last thing Rosa saw as she noticed that Argus' limbs were on fire,but that fire didn't harmed him at all,though she sensed that it wasn't the Dragon's Flame but something else,she was pulled out of her thoughts when Argus called to her.

"Rosa...you okay ?" she nodded weakly before she finally blacked out, "Rosa!..Oliver!Oliver wake up and get my sister to safety!" Oliver finally recovered as he rubbed his sore sides,but that was forgotten when he saw Argus,alive and giving him an order, "Huh ?...Of course Your Highness,I'm on it!" he dashed forward and scooped up Rosa into his arms and set her on his back,letting her ride him piggyback-like.

Argus then turned back to the Crystal Walker that was struggling to push it's attack forward, "As for you,you walking heap of junk and jewels......No one touches my sister and gets away with it!Rrrah!!'_Inferno Claymore!'_" he pushed the Crystal Walker back with the sword and performed his attack,as a single swing of the weapon created a large fiery arc that slammed into the Crystal Walker,burning it but the flames soon died away though it left several cracks in the crystal,it got back up and aimed it's reformed arm cannons at him,firing it like it did before but the crystals that came out met a wall of fire that was so intense,it caused the projectiles to shatter into diamond dust.

_'Flame Wall!' _the flames on Argus' arms were now equipped with a pair of new armbands that had intricate designs of fire with a red gem as the core,and besides that,Argus now had a buckler shield that was the source of the barrier of fire. "Tough nut to crack are you ? Fine,I'll just hit harder!" Argus rushed the Crystal Walker with the Phoenix Blade in both hands and jumped up into the air,a burst of fire helping him rise higher into the air and used a technique he had seen Efreet used only once.

_'Burning Break!'_ ,the runes on the Phoenix Blade ignited,just as Argus swung it into the Crystal Walker a bright flash blinded everyone,then there was a loud sound of metal slicing through metal as well the shattering of glass. When the light faded,Argus stood opposite the Crystal Walker,his back to the hulking giant. It turned around,ready to fire at him again but it's arm shattered and cracks started forming around it,the crystals falling off of the armor plating,exposing the cavity that Rosa's arrow had inflicted upon it before it fell apart and dissipate into nothing,the only thing left was a malfunctioning drone that locked it's sights on Argus but before it could do anything,a satchel caught it .

"Fire in the hole!" Sera shouted before Trevor sent a fireball flying at it,detonating the bombs in the satchel,creating an explosion that Trevor kept in as he manipulated the flames that licked at the invisible barrier, "You do know you didn't had to use most of my bombs,right ?" Sera smirked and replied, "I know,it's just that they really stink." she looked at Argus who just stood there,the weapons he used now missing. She ran up to him,a smile on her face before she gave him a hug, "Argus,good to see that you're alive...Argus ?" he just whispered weakly, "I don't.....know...about that..." he then coughed out blood as his body gave away,falling back as Sera held him,seeing blood pouring out from various wounds that were opening up.

"Trevor!Get your med pack out now!" Sera cried as she pressed on as many wounds she could,just to keep the blood from streaming out but there were too many even when Oliver came to help out as he used his magic to heal him,it was a race just to keep him alive. "Help me with the bandages Sera,we need to stop the bleeding as soon as possible and help us hold the wounds closed,save your magic when he's stop bleeding." Oliver nodded as he followed Trevor's instructions.

(Several Minutes Later)

"Phew!That should keep him safe enough until we give him proper treatment." Trevor sighed as he stood back,watching his handiwork,Argus was bandaged up in many places,his breathing now more steady and Oliver on healing duty until his magic finally fizzled out, "Well there goes the last of my magic energy,I'll call for an update on the ship's condition." Oliver put on an earpiece before tapping on it twice.

"This is Advisor Oliver Palladium,give me an update on our status." there was some static until a reply was sent.

"Bad news sir,the back up generators have overloaded and for some reason,we're unable to reconnect to the main core for power,the Royal Grace has barely enough power to operate."

"Understood,wait until we get there." he then shut it off, "Alright,anyone know a teleportation spell since I'm out of power." Trevor tossed him a small shard of crystal, "If your out of power,just use that shard as a focus medium,hopefully it'll work and be enough for a single spell." Oliver gulped as he focused on it,before they disappeared.

(Bridge)

Everyone was working to their limit as they tried everything to keep the ship stable before a bright light filled the room and saw Oliver come out of the light, "Alright,someone please escort the prince and princess back to the manor and get a healer ready there immediately,the prince needs immediate medical treatment." a few of the crew ran to carry out his order before he turned to Trevor and Sera who nodded, "Don't worry Oliver,we'll keep them safe."

"Thank you." they left before he turned to the bridge command, "Alright,people we need to dive out of the warp jump,there's too much risk staying in the warp tunnel,we'll dive out within 10 minutes so make sure everything is secure by then." he then sat down and started working on his end as well as he started a check-up of the Royal Grace's main systems.

(Manor)

"Please move!Please make way for the prince,he needs serious medical attention." the guards called out as the citizens parted to make a pathway for their prince and some of them gasped when they saw his condition as he laid quietly in the stretcher,Trevor and Sera followed closely behind them as Rosa moaned every once in a while as she called for Argus on her stretcher.

When they got to their rooms,they saw Reina come out of the room and she gasped when she saw everyone battered and bruised and almost cried when she saw Argus' condition, "Please,get him onto the bed,I'll help heal him as much as I can." the guards nodded as they deposited their prince onto the bed as Reina did her work as she began her healing magic but was interrupted when the ship started rumbling.

(Bridge)

"What's going on ?!" Oliver shouted as he clung desperately to his seat. "The ship has somehow prematurely dived out of the warp,the stabilizers have been shorted out,atmosphere generators-" Oliver had lost his patience, "Just get to the point!"

"In short,we're going to crash into that planet." the operator pointed out to the screen showing that the ship is hurtling towards a planet that was closing in fast. "Everyone!Brace yourselves!" the crew screamed as the ship entered the world's atmosphere.

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(Andros)

There was a battle going on the coral beds,as Androsian Soldiers fought undead warriors though it looked like the skeletal soldiers are winning as their the soldiers of Andros were forced back step by step until the advancing undead were cut down by two quick flashes that belonged to the large metal fans belonging to Anesha who had came out when the soldiers were gone.

"So you boneheads were able to beat those big soldiers off,big deal. Now you have to face me!" she threw her fans like boomerangs and mowed down a number of them before coming back into her hands,she folded them up into their sword forms,intending to jump into the midst of the undead and work her way from there but a large rumbling noise earned her attention.

"What in the....a ship?" Anesha was surprised to see an actual galleon to come through the clouds and it oddly looked familiar to her but she didn't have time to remember as the ship changed direction and is now hurtling towards them,and having a ship crash on you would be far worse than fighting an army of undead. "Gotta go you numbskulls." Anesha taunted before she sent a blast of Morfix at the undead,keeping them in place.

Anesha was running as fast as her feet could carry her as she saw and felt the ship come crashing into the coral beds and sliding across it and closer to her before it hit the coral plate she was on,sending her flying into the air, "Got to think quick!" then an idea popped into her head as she blasted out a stream of ice that formed a sliding ramp for her as she slid on it (A.N:think of Frozone from the Incredibles)

Using it as her way of escape she jumped from the ramp just as it was crushed by the ship and onto another icy ramp that she created and continued sliding out of the area though she miscalculated and curved the ramp a little too high and launched herself into the air though quickly compensating by landing on the deck of the ship which stopped just short of a few dozen feet from the cliff side. "Ugh...wait till I get my hands on the moron who almost crushed me with their ship,I'm going to strangle them..." she stood up but found her legs were a little wobbly, "After I get my bearings back."

* * *

Author's Note: Again I apologize for being so long on this update but with everything happening in my life,it's kind of hard think of new ideas for the plotline so please bare with me as I might not be able to update for quite sometime.

And congrats Shinryu,you got the answer right though you were suppose to choose only one answer but oh well. Okay,now to this chapter's WiVo. '_Looks to see that the drummer is missing'_ guess no drum roll this chapter.

WiVo:

Since the Royal Grace has crashed landed on Andros,who do you readers think will Trevor and the others will face when they gets off of the ship since Argus is incapacitated. Who will be the first enemy encountered here ?

A Nostrom and his Undead Horde

B Ronand and his Mechanical Corp

C Another Army of Decay Juggernaut Special

D Anesha,the princess of Andros

You can try and guess though I might've already given away the answer already but oh well,I hope you had fun reading this cause this is Argus456 signing off.


	26. Chapter 25

I thank you my readers for giving my story a chance,because if it weren't for your reviews,I wouldn't have gotten this far. Ok now,I believe that's enough of the mushyness from me and it's time to go on with the story,but of course,the disclaimer.

p.s:This just an update so that a missing chapter could be inserted in between the first few chapters.

Disclaimer:I don't own anything in this story that is related to Winx Club,Star Ocean:Till the End of Time and any other crossovers found in this story but I do own the most of Ocs and the plot-line.

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(70 S.D. Star of Passion,Brig)

Although it was labeled as the brig,it was actually a modest-sized room,complete with various luxuries that normal holding cells or brigs would never have,there were pieces of simple furniture in the room,a dresser,a wardrobe,and a table and on it was a plate of untouched food that consisted of a side of beef with mash potatoes topped with gravy and little radish slices that were oddly enough in the shape of ships(A.N:Fans of Star Ocean will get it)

The room's occupant was on the bed,sitting in a meditative position and his coat off,revealing his white sleeveless shirt that revealed his well-toned body,as he inhaled deeply,wisps of blue energy was absorbed into himself. Shinryu was awakened from his meditative state when the the door's locking mechanism unlocked,he opened his eyes and put on his coat,careful to cover a pair of bracelets he wore.

"You got a visitor kid." the spacer joked as he chewed on his lunch, Shinryu and Mera didn't take too kindly to that little quip so they subtly heated up the man's plate as he dropped it,spilling his lunch on the floor and a bit got on the captain's shoes, "My apologies captain." the man started rubbing the shoe,wiping off the mash potatoes. Shinryu smirked before he saw his visitor.

"Knock on the door when you're done Mr Leingod and he'll let you out." Thomas nodded before the door closed and locked up and turned his attention towards the young man that was in his room last night though minus the reptilian features and the killer intent. "I believe you have asked for me,have you not Mr...er. Um,would you mind telling me who you are exactly ?"

Shinryu smirked as he sat back onto the bed, "Isn't it rude to ask a person's name when one hasn't introduce oneself ?" 'SoKasua,do you sense any magic in him at all ?_' "I'm not too sure,it looks like this young man is serving as a vessel for another being." _'So you think it could be another person like us ?' Kasua remained silent and Mera is oddly remained subdued,silent as a grave so he returned his attention to his visitor. "So,your name ?"

"Ah,yes I apologize for my rude behavior,my name is Thomas Leingod and you are ?" Shinryu just went back into his meditative stance, "Name's Shinryu,remember that cause I won't repeat it again. Any other questions ?" Thomas took a seat by the table and began the questioning. "Well,first off Shinryu,how did...um turn into a reptile man last night ?" "You wouldn't believe me even if I told you." Shinryu looked at Thomas who just looked at him calmly, "Well,try me."

(20 Minutes Later)

"And that's the reason why I can turn into 'reptile man' as you put it." Shinryu expected Thomas to either freak out and run or just start talking to him like he was a raving lunatic as several others did before but when he opened his eyes to see the reaction,he was a bit shocked to see Thomas was still cool and collected as he typed Shinryu's 'memoirs' into his little computer, "Um,why aren't you freaking out ?" he stopped typing as he looked at the silver-haired 'teen' getting up.

"Well,I already met a talking bigfoot,befriended a man that was trapped in a magic mirror and fought a witch that uses gelatin-like blobs as minions and I believe I met a ghost earlier so your story just seems of the norm to me now." he offered the glass of water that came with the dish. "No thanks."

"Ah,right you can sustain yourself without sustenance. Since your story has pretty much cleared all my subsequent questions,I'll need to summarize it to make it clearer,if your two friends don't mind." Shinryu sighed as he checked with Kasua and Mera. _'Fine,let him talk but if he mentions about my temper,I want you to kick him all the way to the netherworld!' _Shinryu considered it since he did have that ability from a slain wizard from one of his earlier adventures, _"Now,now Mera hold your temper.' _he heard Kasua chuckle a little, _'let him speak,I find him quite delightful'_ Shinryu sighed as he gave the ok sign.

"Okay,first off,you're not human but a mix of elf and dragon,your father was an elf who was bitten by a vampire and your mother was a Great Dragon,a type of dragon that can shapeshift and when you were born,the spirits of the dragon of darkness Mera and light,Kasua merged with yours and due to that you have gained a great deal of power as well as a long lifespan,the extent of your powers which you won't explain." Shinryu nodded at this before glaring at him,as if a challenge to ask him again, "And in short,you've been traveling around,hunting rogue wizards and training under various elder dragons and other beings of power and you were going to your next destination to receive further training but somehow you bought a cheap ship and it broke down halfway there,am I right ?"

"Right on the mark,now if you excuse me,I must break out of here,get back on my ship and be on my way." Thomas stopped him just as he was about to blow the door out with a blast of energy, "Sorry about that but I've got bad news Shinryu,but that ship of yours...um,it blew up when the repair drone tried to fix it." he sighed as he rubbed his head, _"Well,now we know why it was sold to us at such a cheap price."_ "Fine,I'll stay here until I get to the nearest planet,I'll get a new ship there,by the way,where are you going ?" Thomas pulled out his ticket to reread the info, "Let's see,we're going to a world called Expel,to a city called Arlia,that's where Sophia and I will set off on our trip.

"Thanks for the info,now if you'll excuse me." Shinryu pulled back his hand and punched the door out,sending it flying into the opposite end of the hallway,he stepped out moving his wrist. "Knock,knock. Now let me out." the spacer by the door was flabbergasted a "How did that...you!Stop what you're doing and come quietly or-augh!" his throat was in Shinryu's grasp, "When I let you go,you'll listen to what I have to say or you 'll never leave this floor alive,got it ?" the spacer nodded just as Thomas saw the scene, "Are you alright ?" though before he could answer,he passed out

"He's fine,just be glad I didn't use a quarter of the force I used on that door or his head will be rolling down the hall by now. Too bad he fainted,might as well ask the captain." and as if by coincidence,the captain turned around the corner, "Someone call for me ?" when he saw his crewman out cold and Shinryu standing over him,he took out a pistol he had, "Don't move or I'll fire." before he could react,Shinryu closed the distance between them in an instant, "Put the gun away before you shoot someone,I just have a question for you."

"And what would that question be ?" the captain grunted,relaxing a little but keeping his finger on the trigger, "How much does it cost to get a ride on your ship ?" He didn't expect this as he put the gun away, "Um...er..do you want first class,second class or the economy suite ?" he was uncertain at the young man's intention but the sincerity in his tone was quite convincing.

Shinryu smiled wickedly as he pulled out a wad of money, "First Class if you don't mind and please,I want a room with really thick walls,I value my peace and quiet." his eyes flashed red as he said it _"Liar,you just want it so you can destroy it" 'Oh shut it Kasua,I need to vent out once in a while'_

Taking the money,the captain looked at the amount and his eyes bugged out at the large number, "Well,this will definitely cover it. Right this way um..young man,I lead you to your room." Thomas looked on as he saw Shinryu follow the captain through the hallway,before he remembered he had to go somewhere, "Drats!I forgot about Miss Sophia!" he turned to the opposite direction and ran.

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(Pirate Ship,Docking Bay)

The ship was abuzz with movement as the crew rushed about,besides humanoids,there were other species of aliens aboard,short little creatures with gray leathery skin,carried boxes of munitions to the cannon room,gas masks were over their faces,supplying them with methane to keep them alive. They passed by a couple of aliens that looked like a cross between a bird and a raptor,it wore light body armor on it's small frame,carbines and rifles in their hands as they followed a few humanoids into another boarding craft.

Before that ship could fly off,another boarding craft came crashing in,knocking the docked ship's occupants out. Several pirates gathered around the ship that laid there,the entrance hatch opened up and a grenade was thrown out. "Grenade!" shrieked one of the little grunts as everyone dived for cover,a shockwave knocked a number out while sending a few more flying.

Jake stepped out of the stolen ship,his helmet's amber visor gleamed in the light as he aimed two pulse guns around. "Hmm,looks like that grenade took everyone out..." he guessed wrong as a couple of grunts came out of their hiding place as they fired their small pistols,small spheres of energy striking him. He dodged behind a crate as he examined the plasma burns on his armor,the damage was minor since the armor was very dense "Oh,right forgot to turn on the shields." he then tapped on his wrist before a humming sound was heard and a quick shimmer of blue covered his body before vanishing.

The little grunts then grabbed a large caliber weapon as it discharged a large energy round,destroying Jake's cover but he just stepped out of the smoke and fired his pulse guns,taking down the grunts quickly before the battery charge of the guns ran out.

"Quick!Enemy ran out of ammo!" one of the grunts squeaked before a squad of the raptor-like creatures and other humanoids rushed in,their weapons at the ready though they didn't expect him to rush in,grab a grunt by it's head,toss him away after he took away it's large weapon,aimed it at them and fired,the ones in the blast radius were blown to bits while others were sent flying,the fall killing them as one or two were jettisoned into space.

Staring at the carnage before them,the survivors stared fearfully at the person who had just used a Fuel Rod Cannon point-blank and survived,his armor mildly burnt by the shot but he just stood there as a blue light shimmered around him,before trying something that didn't include anything to do with guns or bombs, "Boo!" his sleep-deprived brain's idea worked well as the survivors ran off screaming, "Help!Demon!A demon has come to kill us!" he chuckled as he discarded the cannon and picked up one of the weapons left behind,a small handheld device as he test fired it on a pillar, "Okay,a pistol of some sort." he tried testing if it could fire non stop but a ball of static gathered at the 'muzzle' that fired off and blew apart a stack of crates,he whistled as he saw the power.

His built-in communicator crackled to life as he received a message, "Hey buddy,we're going to come in on two boarding shuttles,mind shutting down the gun controls on your side ?" "Roger that,maintain radio silence until the cannons are out." Jake sighed as he took a handful of plasma grenades to replenish his own depleted supply,another energy pistol,extra ammo for the carbine and started his trek through the ship but bumped into something big and in red armor. He looked up and saw a creature with four mandibles for a mouth,it growled deeply as it glared at him, _'Of all the rotten luck. If I live through this,I'm going to give myself a good smack for coming here alone!'_

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(Argus,Location:Unknown)

Argus was once again unconscious as he got back onto his feet,his clothes was now replaced with those of an adept mage,it was similar to the trainee outfit but the mantle had silver trimmings,he looked around his location and saw that he was back in his subconscious mind as he saw the combined structure of Eraklion's and Sparx's palace towered over him.

"Well,at least I'm not in the Spirit Realm." he then made his way into the palace,once in the chamber where the spiraling staircase was,he walked through a large door,it lead to a room that was empty except for a single pedestal in the middle,there was a shinning red orb on top,he approached it and touched the sphere before he was whisked away to somewhere else.

(Field)

Argus fell face first into a field of grass,the soft grass cushioning his face,he got up and spit out the grass that had fiery red tips,he looked around his new whereabouts and saw a tall structure that reminded him of his trip to Celestia,a world of people who could control specific elements,the structure was of a fire design,he walked in cautiously.. Though before he could look around,he was warped into another location by a pillar of fire.

(Chamber)

A pillar of flame appeared and faded away,letting Argus out into a chamber lined with weapons of various designs,full suits of armor were place at the corners,each armed with different weapons though there was one armor that was moving,a red armor that was doing swordplay with a large sword.

"Efreet ?" the armor stopped moving as it turned around to see him.

"Keeper ? It appears that you've found the gateway to our hidden dimension." he then put away his weapon as it disappeared.

"Hidden dimension ?...So does this mean that I'm now in the Spirit Realm again ?"

"In a matter of speaking,this place and others like it allow you to increase your power to whole new levels. Come,let's relieve you of some of that energy before it puts your physical body in danger once again." Efreet sat down on a cushion in a meditative position before he began breathing deeply,the room temperature rising and lowering as he inhaled and exhaled.

Taking a seat in front of the elemental,Argus started his meditation as well. As he exhaled,he felt a burden being lifted from his body,he opened his eyes and saw a sphere of pure energy that was taken in by Efreet as he inhaled,flames seeping out from the slits in his helmet a small red sphere jumped into the pendant.

"It is done,now your Fire Arts technique are more controllable,using it won't overtax your body as it usually would." Argus stood,up ready to go now but the elemental stopped him. "No young Keeper,going back to your body right now while it's clinging barely to life is dangerous." this made Argus' eyes bug out, "What!? You mean I'm dying ?" Efreet shook his head, "No no,your life is safe though the shock of you going back in so early might kill you instead. Might I suggest we have a spar while you wait ?"

Summoning the Phoenix Blade,Argus took a stance but was a little hesitant as he looked at the small confines of the room,perfect for single swordplay but hardly suitable for a spar. "Ah,I see you noticed our limited space,allow me to remedy that." he snapped his fingers and the walls of the room pulled back and the armor suits sank into the ground and the room suddenly became a large cavern,the floor now a platform of hardened lava with a moat of molten magma heating up the room,a strange creature swam through it like a large whale would in the sea as it splashed the lava around them but it never reached too high as it either hit the sides of the platform or just plop back into the sea of magma.

"Now,shall we start our spar ?" Efreet then summoned his large broadsword in answer to Argus' weapon,the lava splashed up behind him as Argus sweats from the heat, "Are you sure that it's only a sparring practice ?" he raised his weapons just as Efreet crashed his weapon onto the blade. "Who said anything about practice Keeper ? We're fighting to test our mettle in battle!Burning Break!" Efreet yelled as he unleashed his attack but Argus evaded before he went back into his stance. "Ok then,we'll pull no punches or strikes! Burning Break!" Argus yelled as he leaped into the air but Efreet just stood there with his sword at the ready, "Hah!You think that my own element would harm me!"

"No,but a forceful kick might help!" he turned the Phoenix Blade around and unleashed the flames,propelling him at Efreet who felt every force behind the kick as he reeled back from the force. Fire spewed from the slits in the elemental's helmet as he stood up again, "If it's one thing I like in the Specialists nowadays is the creativity they use in the midst of battle and you're the cream of the crop!" Efreet called out enthusiastically as he called out his other weapon,a staff with burning embers at the ends,he spun it around,increasing the ember's flame until it was able to create a wheel of fire, _'Flaming Chakram!'_ he yelled as he gave the staff a quick swipe,letting the fire fly at Argus who once again dodged it but it turned back like a boomerang and knocked him down while also burning him.

When he got back up again, Argus was no longer wielding the Phoenix Blade but Undine's trident, "Whoa!...How did I do that ?" and Argus wasn't the only one shocked by the appearance of Undine's weapon, _'How was he able to learn that technique so early ?'_ he smirked under his helmet as he brandished his sword, "I see you've learned how to switch weapons but let's see how good you are at using it!" Efreet declared as he charged at Argus who stood at the ready with the Sea God's Trident as the name flashed into his mind.

Argus quickly filtered through the information that the Trident was feeding him as he used a technique he randomly selected, _'Wrath of Poseidon!'_ a wave of water rose from no where and slammed onto Efreet who spluttered under the water before it flowed into the moat of magma,a series of loud hisses sounded as steamed rose from the surface,covering the platform in a blanket of mist. The two combatants coughed as they got up,Argus didn't expected to get hit himself but he never was very good at water spells. Efreet let out breaths of fire that was smothered by smoke but after a while,he recovered.

"Well done Keeper,it appears you've learned one of Undine's techniques but you are unskilled in controlling it but that is up to her to teach you when the time comes." he approached Argus who was still coughing out the water that got into him, "Guess I should've used something else but it did the trick didn't it ?" Efreet nodded, "Indeed but it now seems you can return to your body if you want." Argus nodded as he looked around the platform that just disappeared and turn back into the training room,Efreet created a portal that Argus jumped through before he thanked him for the sparring session.

"You can come out now Undine." and as Efreet guessed correctly,the Elemental of Water came in through a door that was behind one of the suits of armor but she was no longer in her armor but an elegant dress of blue and white,her hair flowed gently down her face as she smiled mischievously, "You had no right to interfere with that match Undine,giving him so much information about the Crimson Catalyst so early might have serious repercussions in the future." Undine just sat beside Efreet who's armor was replaced with a suit minus the blazer as his waistcoat remained unbuttoned. "Come now Efreet,you know that the Red Star isn't the gem's true name,just a name created by scholars who had lost the original documents,besides it was just the name." she gently combed her fingers through his red hair.

"Also the fact that you just given him a powerful technique that he has no true control over." his resistance was falling as Undine twirled locks of his hair, "Come now,don't be so frigid like my brother." Efreet then gulped as she mentioned her sibling, "Speaking of your brother Undine,I doubt he'll like seeing us like this." his senses alerted him as he picked up Undine and jumped away from where he was as a bunch of needles embedded themselves into the floor before melting into water.

"Indeed,I would really appreciate it if you get your hands off of my sister right now." Shivan the Ice Elemental walked in,the armor he was wearing was of freezing blue,and his helmet had several markings of ice on it,he sheathed his rapier as Efreet let Undine down, "Come sister,we must prepare for the next meeting as you should do as well Efreet." Undine nodded as she followed her brother,see you later Efreet." the Fire Elemental sighed as he donned his armor again before he vanished in a pillar of fire.

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(Royal Grace,Manor)

The citizens were panicking as the ship had just crashed landed on an unknown world,luckily no one was hurt too badly,as children cried from the shock of the impact,the guards helping them calm down but with the recent scene of seeing the royal siblings hurt, it was difficult to carry out that task than expected as guards were struggling to keep the crowd calm.

With the commotion going on outside,it was slightly better as Reina was helping the healer care for Argus as both their magic closed his wounds though the smell from a bomb Trevor managed to save was making it difficult to concentrate on the healing process,he was forced out of the room,he sighed as he put the bomb away in a tight pack,earning a few curious glances from the guards outside the room, "Be careful with that explosive young man,we have enough problems as it is." Trevor nodded as he looked down on the floor before he decided to sit down right on the floor.

"Now why are you down on the dumps hun ?" he looked up to see Marion carrying a basket of medical supplies for the injured citizens. "Nothing Mam,just a little depressed." the woman huffed as she saw his state before she pulled him up by the scruff of his neck, "Well,hun,if you've got the time to be depressed and such,why not make yourself useful and help the guards with crowd control." Trevor nodded nervously as she let him go before he ran to the entrance.

(Outside Manor)

"Come on people!Women,children and the elderly first!Those who are able can help the injured or disabled. Work with me people!" Sera shouted as she helped the guards guide the nervous people into the large manor,she handed blankets to everyone as they entered the gates. She saw the commotion going on just a few yards away as some of the people were panicking and they weren't enough guards to handle the rowdy crowd. "Aw geez and I just helped calmed the people down too." she let out a groan as she had helped earlier with calming the people and she'd hate it if panic spread through the people again.

"Can I help with anything ?" Sera looked back to see Trevor who was somewhat cheerier than before, "Okay,you can help by giving out these blankets to everyone and help with any lost kids,I got a crowd to cool off." he was then given the duty of babysitting in a nutshell as he felt a tug on his pants,he looked down and saw two kids,a boy and a girl, "Excuse me mister but can you help me find my sister's doll for me ?We lost it when the ground went boom." the girl looked a little shaken up and she'd probably needed it to keep her calm.

Trevor used his eyes to look around and bumped into the trunk of a tree and something fell onto his head and grabbed it, "My doll!" the girl yelled happily as she reached for it. The doll was handed over to the child before the boy bowed to him, "Thanks mister." Trevor smiled at the two before a thought crossed his mind, "Um,do you know where your parents are ?" they both shook their heads, "Mommy and Daddy gone when the ship go boom,we don't know where they are." Trevor nodded before he led them back to his appointed station, "Well..now it isn't a good time to look for them so mind helping me pass out these blankets ?" the siblings nodded as they each grabbed a handful of blankets.

(A few Yards Away)

While Trevor carried out the task Sera assigned him,she was busy helping the guards calm the crowd that was becoming like a mob. She dodged a rock before she put on her Phanto-Claw and slammed it into the ground,silencing the crowd as the ground trembled under the impact.

"Please calm down!The prince and the princess are alright!They need rest and they can't get it if you keep on behaving like an unruly mob!" they quickly dispersed and joined the line of civilians into the manor. One of the guards approached her,it was one of the guards that had accompanied them to the Business District, "Thank you Miss Slifer,without you we would've had a riot on our hands and with the ship crashing...well let's just say we're really grateful you and your comrades kept the ship safe from blowing up."

Sera chuckled nervously as she remembered Trevor's bombs being used on the drone before she nodded, "Yeah but no thanks needed,we did it cause most of us were Specialists." the guards nodded as they were still amazed that such a young girl is a member of the Magical Dimension's finest group of warriors. She sneaked away before they'd ask her how the battle in the core went, _'That was close,I wouldn't want them finding out that I might be the one to cause the ship to crash' _Sera breathed a sigh of relief as she rejoined Trevor at the blanket pile.

_'Hey Fire Knight!You there....hello...'_ Trevor finally remembered that he had a question so he was trying to get the Fire Knight's attention but no response,he absent-mindlessly handed blankets to everyone,carrying out his task _'Hello...Fire Knight' 'Aiden'_ Trevor wasn't expecting such a response,as he looked to see that he had passed on too many blankets onto the boy under his care, "Sorry about that,my mind wandered off a little." the boy being unfamiliar with the term asked him a question that amused him, "Where did your mind go to ?" he chuckled before ruffling the boy's hair, "Nowhere." when the child went back to his sister,he asked the fire knight once more _'What did you say ?Aiden?' 'Aiden Magnus,that's my name,call me that from now on young Pyris.' 'Okay,Aiden then you can call me Trevor,I've got some questions for you but I've got matters to attend to so I'll ask you later.'_ Aiden didn't reply so Trevor just went back to his task,handing out blankets before a pair of slender arms wrapped themselves around his neck.

"Waah!Help,something's got me!" Trevor cried out in a high-pitched scream,before he heard peals of laughter coming from behind him,he turned around to see Sera hugging herself as she laughed herself to stitches, "Haha...man Trevor,you are the only boy I know that can scream that way." she muffled her laughter as she saw Trevor glare at her, "So ? I was born with a high-pitched voice and besides you can take care of the blankets while I help these children look for their parents." he walked off with the children before she could reply, "Geez,I was only joking....then again,it's the only thing I can do to cheer everyone up." she abandoned her station as the pile was already gone. "Might as well help them out.

(Some Minutes Later,Inside Manor Grounds)

When she passed through the gates,she saw people pitching up tents,the guards passing them small mattresses and food,the manor must be too full to allow anymore people inside,either that or they want to keep the commotion inside to a minimum so that Argus and Rosa could rest properly. She then saw Trevor talking with a middle aged man and his wife,probably the parents of the children.

"Thank you kind sir for bringing our children back to us safely." the siblings tugged at his arms, "Come and sit with us,we can share you some of our food." Trevor smiled at the thought, "Sorry kids but I think I have to check on Argus first." the man nodded as his wife handed him a small ring, "Please take this ring young man,it's said to increase one's magic powers." Trevor shook his head and passed it back, "I'm sorry mam by I couldn't possibly-" the woman insisted as she placed it in his hand. "Please I insist,our family no longer have any need for it." Trevor nodded before he bowed and said his goodbyes.

Sera followed him into the manor as the guards let them in, "So are you going to put it on ?" Trevor looked at her before turning his sights back to the ring, "I don't know,increasing my magic powers sounds good but I think I'll only wear it in emergencies." Sera smiled at this before giving him a peck on the cheeks,making him blush and lower his head, "Wha..What was that for ?" Sera giggled as she pinched his cheeks, "That was for saving me earlier." Trevor rubbed his sore cheeks, "And the pinching ?" he kind of liked the kiss but the pinch was harder than his mom's when he left for Red Fountain.

Sera just shook her head, "Nothing,just felt like it,you have really soft cheeks for a boy." she started laughing at his expense once again before Oliver greeted them, "Glad to see that you're happy enough to laugh,since you're obviously free,I'll need you two to investigate where we are exactly,here's a Geo-Scanner,it'll scan the area and identify them,giving us a better idea on where we are." Oliver gave Sera the device,it was quite compact,even smaller than the Specialists' own sleek communicator.

"Alright,we'll get right on it,so the platform generator is that way right ?" Oliver shook his head, "Unfortunately,since the ship is out of power and probably buried halfway in the ground,you'll need to take the emergency route." he led the two to the back of the manor gardens and pulled out a ring that had Eraklion's emblem on it and placed it into a small cavity on a pillar before the ground pulled away as a manhole was revealed, "This is a secret pathway for escape purposes should the ship ever be captured,it'll lead you to the deck,that'll hopefully be not buried." Trevor nodded before he jumped in,followed by Sera who landed on him while he was looking at the passage.

"Get off me!You're crushing my leg!" Trevor whined as he let out tears of pain,Sera just gave an indignant huff in reply, "Are you saying I'm fat!If there's one thing a guy should never comment a girl on is her weight!" Trevor just laid there,defeated in his attempt to free his legs, "Ok,you're right!Now just get off my legs,I'm starting to get numb over there." Sera gave Trevor a good thwack on the head before yelling at him again. Oliver sighed deeply as he heard them argue, "I certainly hope they make it for all our sake."

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(70 S.D,Star of Passion,Arcade Room)

Thomas had arrived panting,his heartbeat now slowing down after all that running through the ship and getting lost twice in the process. Sophia just hopped off of an arcade game that involved snowboarding and spotted him, "Hey Tom!Come on,I want you to come with me for a bit." Thomas took a deep breath and recomposed himself and follow her.

Since the cruise liner was state of the art and built for leisure of it's passengers so it wasn't surprising to find a whole room dedicated to all forms of gaming one of which was a Virtual Revolution Dancer which was the successor of the popular DDR of the 21st century and Sophia managed to convince Thomas to join her in a dance session and from the lists of the songs,she had chosen an old but popular song among the teens today,a song called Beyond the Bounds and Sophia had chosen a dance setting of tango and the moment they stepped onto the 'stage' the virtual projectors changed their clothes to fit the theme.

Thomas' suit changed from that into a pair of tight black pants and a flowing white shirt with ruffles on the front of the collar and also a red sash in place of a belt and a pair of dance shoes replaced his regular pair,Thomas found it a little embarrassing as he hadn't worn clothes like these since his last dance lessons as a kid as well as the looks he was getting from the single girls on the cruise.

Sophia's change of clothes was much more flashier as she twirled around and her clothes changed into a combination of a ballroom dancer with a gypsy girl as her outfit consisted of a small short-sleeved jacket worn over a sparkling silver one piece dress where the skirt had pink ruffles and like Thomas' sash,she had a small white sash that was tied in a tasteful bow.

They took each other's hands as the music started softly and eerily a harp,twittering beautifully soon accompanied by a violin playing with a low base in the backdrop and the music then it picked up as drums and a hypnotic sound that resembled a trumpet and a flute together,making the couple dance to the beat while the lyrics were sung by a recording of the rising stars,the Seraphim Sisters as backup singers joined them in chorus.('...' means that the chorus are singing)

_Ranar likul viernopal kar!  
Ranar likul viernopal  
_

_'Aaaah Aaaaaah!'_

_  
Lenar panar virakeral kar!  
Lenar panar virakeral  
_

_'Aaaaah Aaaaaaah!'_

_  
Ehnar lakitu luyarpal kar!  
Ehnar lakitu luyarpal  
_

_'Aaaaah Aaaaaaah!'_

_  
Luyan henar terarkel kar!  
Luyan henar terarkel llukaparsi!  
_

Thomas looked into Sophia's eyes with intent as he danced the steps he learned since childhood,leading her through the steps she instinctively followed,not noticing that their bodies were pressed against each other as their movements moved in sync with the rhythm of the violin as it increased it's intensity of it's strings.

_Tiernopar ehlkdu rapardu  
Lukarmisi porer tirer lupar!  
Vierllosa tlarsi tumirpar  
Ehkulur latu retie marar!_

_Tiernopar ehlkdu rapardu  
Lukarmisi porer tirer lupar!  
Vierllosa tlarsi tumirpar  
Ehkulur latu retie marar!_

Thomas stopped as he held Sophia's right hand in the air before he twirled her around for a full revolution,her skirt flowing in accordance before stopping and continuing their dance,unaware of the audience they had gathered.

_Message of the blowing wind  
Erasing memories  
Stars are the witnesses of our existence  
_

_'Aaaah Aaaah Aaaaaah!'_

_  
Change is what the world awaits  
Could that be peace or war?  
The answer no one knows  
Trusting the break of dawn  
The blue bird flies away _

Their hearts beating heavily but steadily together with the beats of the drumming,their eyes lost in each other,their steps in full symmetry,their skins growing hotter as they continued dancing to the music.

_Ranar likul viernopal kar!  
Ranar likul viernopal  
_

_'Aaaah Aaaaaah!'_

_  
Lenar panar virakeral kar!  
Lenar panar virakeral_

_  
'Aaah Aaaaaah!'_

_  
Ehnar lakitu luyarpal kar!  
Ehnar lakitu luyarpal_

_'Aaaah Aaaaaaah!'_

_Luyan henar terarkel kar!  
Luyan henar terarkel llukaparsi!_

Thomas took the flower from Sophia's hair when he twirled her once more,smelling it,taking the scent of the flower as well as her hair in before placing it back in her when she stopped her full revolution,her face blushed beet red when his hand came in contact with her cheek, "Come,let's continue." Sophia smiled as she took Thomas' extended hand once more.

_Tiernopar ehlkdu rapardu  
Lukarmisi porer tirer lupar  
Vierllosa tlarsi tumirpar  
Ehkulur latu retie marar_

_'Aaaah Aaaah Aaaaaa!'_

_Travelling beyond the bounds  
We have to take that step  
What are we waiting for? It's now or never_

_'Aaaaah Aaaaaaah Aaaaah!'_

_Fear to see "The World to Be"  
Is why we hesitate  
Repeat the same mistake  
Hoping to break new ground  
The blue bird flies away_

_Pa laktu vimaturesi  
pasi lameta vimaturesi  
Lanasidu kisaturesi  
makipa sela nitaturesi_

'_Aaaaah Aaaaaaah!'_

_  
Pasira laktu vimaturesi  
pasi lameta vimaturesi  
Lanasidu kisaturesi  
makipa sela nitaturesi  
Pasila! _

The Captain was now with the first mate on a routine checkup when he heard the music, "Hmm,I haven't heard that song played in a while,let's see what the people in the games room are doing shall we ?" "Whatever you say captain though I think that letting that person we caught have a room right next to the Leingod Suite is a bad idea."

_Reaching out to catch the sun  
To hold it in our hands  
Longing for something strong to hide our weakness  
_

_'Aaaah Aaaaah!'_

_  
Soon the light may disappear  
Nothing is meant to last  
Yet we believe our world  
Searching for happiness  
The blue bird flies away!_

The song started slowing down but the violin continued intensifying it's notes as the lyrics were whispered softly as Thomas and Sophia continued dancing as he twirled her faster and faster in tune with the violin's notes as the lyrics created a haunting and hypnotic atmosphere.

_Pa laktu vimaturesi  
pasi lameta vimaturesi  
Lanasidu kisaturesi  
makipa sela nitaturesi_

_Pasira laktu vimaturesi  
pasi lameta vimaturesi  
Lanasidu kisaturesi  
makipa sela nitaturesi  
Pasila!_

Thomas stopped Sophia's spinning and swept her off her feet and arched her back while lowering his,their noses touching as their virtual clothing dissipated as their normal clothes were back looking to normal and then heard clapping. The captain's communicator beeped silently and answered it, "Yes,captain here."

"Way to go!You got the high score!" Thomas and Sophia looked at the holo-screen which positioned their names at the top with the words 100 percent perfect. "Dude!You've gotta teach me and my girlfriend how to dance like that!" cheers and words like these kept coming forward as the two accepted the congrats and gently denied the requests.

Thomas was surprised when someone clasped their hand on his shoulder,he jumped a little when he found out who that person was, "Shinryu ?When did you get here ?" the platinum haired dragon hybrid smirked, "What do you mean,I got here an hour ago. By the way Sophia,nice job on getting the high score." Sophia giggled at him, "Thanks Shin,I see you've met Tom already,it must be a coincidence huh ?" Thomas put on a fake smile and nodded, "Indeed,you would laugh if I told you how we met."

"Okay,now if you'll excuse me,I'm going to get my tokens now." she walked off to collect a pile of coins that was piling up by the minute as she collected them in a container. Shinryu was immediately put into a choke-hold by Thomas but the thousand-year-old 'teen' was unaffected, "Take it easy mortal,I won't lay a hand on her. I may be a merciless killer but I still got my pride and honor." Thomas let him go just as he walked into a simulator. Sophia came back with a handful of plush toys and stuffed animals,he chuckled as she struggled with the numerous amount of plush. "Here,let me help you with that. It's fair to help since I left you here for so long." Sophia shook her head, "No,it's ok Shin kept me company while you were doing your things." a nerve popped when he heard this but he kept it in.

"Really now...I should thank him later when I find out where he's staying." he then had a imaginary scene of him giving Shinryu a sound beating in his own room but his logical side stepped in and gave a realistic result of that attempt,with him laying on the floor either knocked out or dead and in a pool of his own blood,Shinryu laughing,with his foot over the time-traveler's body. He shook his head as he followed Sophia back to their room.

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(Aftermath,Typhoon)

The Typhoon's interior remained empty,it's gravity generator offline and it's former occupants that had failed to escape were now nothing more than floating particles of blood,the doors to the hangars opened up as several people came through,they were wearing full body space suits,the colors of Schilling's army dominating the suits' color scheme. They were scouts sent in to search the ship for anything unusual and among those scouts were Wayne,Tyson and the other crew members of the Woglinde,though their suit's each bared their own color scheme instead of Schillings.

"Man,it's creepy...do you think a bloody corpse will jump out and kill us ?" Simmons whimpered as he flashed the lights around,annoying Tucker, "Simmons!Quit shining that thing in my face." he just shined it elsewhere,right into a blood covered helmet,making a couple of them scream,namely Tucker and Simmons as they hugged each other. Simmons' flashlight that was released in the screaming,floated in the weightless environment,it was taken by the bloody suit, "What are you two idiots screaming about! Get this blood off of me!" it was Church as his light blue colored suit peeked through the blood splotches.

Caboose came around the corner and saw Church soaked in blood, "Hey Church,what's with the ketchup ?" Wayne was perplexed at how Schilling could even recruit these bumblers as he witnessed them cleaning up Church,until he was somewhat clean again, "Thanks but next time,I'm not going to the escape pod chambers again." Church looked at a person in an orange suit, "So Griff,what did you find in the secondary bridge." Church looked at Tyson who looked away,whistling in his helmet. Griff connected a portable computer on his wrist to a communicator and tapped a few buttons before the ship's lights came back on, "Well I got control of the ship though since the main bridge was destroyed,I'll need to bypass several encryptions and recover the data back...but I'm too sleepy to do it,so get one of the other techs to help you out,I'm gonna raid the ship's food storage and go back to the Woglinde."

"Here,maybe you can hack the system rookie,just don't turn on the gravity yet." he handed Wayne the communicator and drifted off towards the direction of the cargo holds. Wayne looked at the device in his hand and a blot of blood landed on it,he was a bit unnerved that Schilling did this,he thought about his son who could be dead since he found out that his station was attacked. "Yo,Gerard!Tyson to Gerard,you still with us ?" he looked at Tyson and nodded, "Yeah,I'm okay...I'm just a little freaked out by the blood.."

"Oh,so this is your first time on a capture mission...you know,you could wait for us back on the ship." Tyson pitied him as his first capture mission unnerved him but he was used to it by now. "No,I'm okay...let me try and do a little systems check on this ship,I might be able to at least clear a few of the encryptions." he lied as he knew that a ship of this class would usually be carrying top-secret information so he secretly sent a signal for the ship's A.I to transfer the data to a hard drive and disconnect it from the rest of the ship. When the task was complete,he easily brought down the first few firewalls as he knew the system encryption by heart before stopping at halfway.

"Sorry guys but I could only bypass some of the firewalls,guess we'll have to leave it to the techs." he drifted himself in the direction of the hangar before Church grabbed his leg, "You're not leaving until you help us clean up the blood here,we can't possibly take it over with blood splotches floating around us,now can we ?" Caboose handed Wayne a vacuum-like device, "So help us clean up would you." Wayne sighed as he started the 'vacuuming' the floating blood made him sick to the stomach but he had to do this to keep up this facade.

"You better get your gears a'grindin' ya nancies or I'm going to do it for you!" Sarge came through the hall with Griff in tow as he was holding an armful of food as he whined about hating to work on an empty stomach. At least Wayne won't be bored keeping up his fake identity.

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(Elicoor II,Shrine of Kaddan,Sacred Orb Chamber)

Darkar laughed as he launched several spheres of darkness at Nel who dodged them just before they hit,she crossed her Blades of Ryusen before pouncing Darkar with them but it collided with a meta pole instead of the being's face,she stared down at a dark version of Luther's lance,Darkar smirked before pushing the lance out,sending Nel flying and tried to attack her with it as he lunged the bladed tip at her but it was met with Roger's Halberd,the little Menodix was sent tumbling into the corner.

"You mortal fools think you can take me on!" Darkar taunted as he lashed out with the lance,Ble'al blocked it with his crystal katana,he growled lowly before leaping into the air,the lance used as a springboard,putting Dakar off-balance. Poised to deliver the killing blow,Ble'al instead stabbed the katana into Dakar's arm,forcing him to cry out in pain as he struggled to pull it out.

While he did this,Adray summoned up his powers for a _'Titan's Fist'_ that hit Darkar head on,causing sounds of sickening splatters to be heard but they remained alert and good thing too because just as the fist disappeared,Darkar climbed out of a squashed mound of flesh that no longer pulsed. Darkar just snapped his head back into it's position and glared at the aged warrior, "Do you think your pathetic attacks can harm me!" he pulled out Ble'al's katana and snapped the blade in two. His cape flared as it grew in length,into a familiar form of Luther's wings but twisted and torn. Darkar spewed out a dark mist,enveloping the room with it, "Feel the wrath of my new minions!" creatures that resembled mangled mutations of Enforcers rose from the mist,limbs or body parts were missing as they were replaced by unknown purple clumps of matter,there was even a Proclaimer whose sleeve-like limbs were replaced by ones that resembled those of Darkar,the mask it usually had was cracked,a piece fell off revealing a gleaming red eye.

"What are these things !?" Nel yelled out as she pull back a little to assess the situation,she thought the Executioners were monstrous enough as they were,these amalgams of creatures made her sick as she tightened the grips on her Blades of Ryusen. Roger just looked on as one of the mutated Enforcers looked at him hungrily,his tail now limp out of fear while Adray glared at these new monsters before he smirked and crossed him arms, "Hmph!These creatures seem more powerful..perhaps powerful enough for me to actually use the blade of my weapon once again!Step aside Ble'al!I'm going to draw my sword!"

Nel looked at Adray curiously as there were multiple documents depicting Adray's prowess in the ways of the sword,she thought that she would never actually see Adray ever use a bladed weapon again as the aged warrior stepped into an unknown stance as he drew out his Heavenly Spirit sword,letting it's virgin blades shine as it's hidden power pulsed,searching for a way to channel it as Adray gave it a medium to channel-cutting down a bunch of monsters. "Take this!Lightning Flash!" and suddenly the room was lit with an intense flash,blinding everyone in it.

When Nel covered her eyes,unable to see anything but her ears picked up the definite sounds of a sword cutting into flesh was heard before the metal hitting metal sounded. When she could see again,Adray was standing just a few feet from Darkar who was holding the Heavenly Spirit back with the lance, "What are you doing you fools!Slay this fool!" the monsters tried to move in on Adray's unguarded rear but within a few inches of movement and then they fell apart,into large chunks of mutated flesh,shocking Darkar whose grip on Adray's sword faltered.

"Hmph!You're a thousand years too young to face me and my sword!" with that declaration,Adray went in to stab Darkar but he suddenly transformed back into the battered form of Luther,a dark mist forming into a dark bird,it let out shriek as Darkar's voice came forth from it, "Very well done mortal but I've absorbed enough energy from this vessel to maintain myself. You can have this pathetic mortal back." Adray passed Luther to Nel,she was amazed at how light Luther was,it was like carrying a child but when she saw his weakened and possibly starved body,he was carefully put down in a safe corner of the room with Roger volunteering to guard him.

"I Lord Darkar!The Shadow Phoenix shall destroy you!" Darkar swooped down,firing spheres of darkness at everyone,only Roger and Adray were unaffected as their weapons' holy effects protected them,Ble'al saw that Nel was a bit distracted to actually defend herself so he rushed over to her,using himself as a shield that promptly buckled as his body took multiple hits, "Ble'al !" Nel gasped as she saw Ble'al take damage,the face he had was not of pain but calmness, "Do not worry Maiden,I'm merely a lowly guardian of Kaddan's Secrets...so goodbye." he turned around to face Darkar,materializing the signature weapon of the Crystal Knights,a shield and lance of crystal.

"Hmph!You're nothing compared to me you lowly little whelp!" Darkar let loose a stream of dark fire,causing Ble'al's shield to crack bit by bit as the flames licked at it,making it brittle more and more as pieces fell off the more Ble'al charged,all of his concentration focused on maintaining the integrity of the lance,the weapon filled with his magical power. The flames intensified as Ble'al finally fell to pieces just as he thrust his lance forward,impaling Darkar,his screams of agony was heard, "No!I will not be defeated! Not again!" the lance shattered as the energy in it burst out,enveloping him in a pure white flame. Nel was shocked at Ble'al's demise as she and the others watched on as the white flames engulfed him.

When it was over,they turned their attention towards Luther,who was still coughing blood as he regained consciousness, "Man,he looks seriously beat up,wonder how he ended up here ?" Adray nodded as he wiped his sword before sheathing it, "I know,I thought we defeated him years ago but here he is." When Luther set his eyes behind them,he materialized his lance and launched it,everyone went into a defensive stance but when the lance hit,none of them were hurt. They turned around to see what was left of Darkar,with Luther's lance stuck half way through his torso, "Damn you!I will be back!Even if it takes me another 2000 years!" and he crumpled up into rusted pieces of metal and dried out bones that melted away into a pool of black goo which Nel promptly disintegrated with three Firebolts.

"I...be..lieve you have..questions...for me.." Luther staggered to his feet as he fell down once more before Adray held him up, "Indeed we do Luther but for now,we need to bring you back to Aquaria for treatment." Roger became adamant at the idea, "Are you nuts!? This guy tried to get rid of us and our universe a couple of years ago!" Adray ignored the Menodix as he lifted Luther up, "He may have tried to kill us back then but he saved us just now didn't he ?" with Roger's argument now pointless,he followed Nel and Adray out of the chamber and to their surprise,the clumps and clusters of flesh shriveled up and disappeared and remaining Executioners suddenly vanished just before they were about to be slain.

When they reached camp,Elena walked up to the group and saw Luther, "Ah,it's good to see you again Mr President." Luther looked at Elena and nodded weakly, "Indeed..it is good to see...you too..but can..this wait...until I'm...better ?" Elena nodded before ordering for a carriage to come and get Luther and the others aboard, "The Black Brigade will clear away any monsters for our safe passage to Arias." Nel was perplexed at this, "Arias ? Isn't Aquaria closer ?" Elena had Woltar pull out a map and placed it on a small table in the carriage.

"Unfortunately Lady Zelpher,the roads to Aquaria is far too treacherous as there's been a rise of monster activity and both Aquaria and Airyglyph forces are doing as best as they can to stop them and Peterny is not viable because we don't need any unwanted attention so the Border Village of Arias will be perfect as it's still in the process of being demilitarized." Adray grinned widely as he remembered his daughter will still be stationed there, "Yeah and I can check up and my daughter. Hopefully she's met a good man by now." Nel sighed at Adray while she saw Roger eating a fruit that he must've made at the workshop,for some reason they never rot or go bad which she was grateful for as she took out a packet of Umai-Bo and took a bite, _'Squid ?..It'll do'_ she shrugged her shoulders before chewing on it slowly.

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(15th Militia Spaceport,Storage Room)

David whistled as he walked up to the large vessel they've just discovered,he touched what appeared to be the hull of the vessel, "This is so unreal..." he jumped back when a gun like device popped out and aimed at him and since no one was even armed,they could only watch to see what it'll do to them. David expected to be vaporized or just filled full of bullets but was merely scanned and was presented with a hologram of Jake.

"Hello Captain Schultz,I said captain because you'll now be the captain of this new experimental ship I've secretly developed for the G Units. The reason for why I built this vessel is to combat terrorists but with the recent activities going on in various sectors and such,I've decide to change it's purpose from an anti-terrorist vessel into a warship,one that might just help save the Pangalatic Federation from someone that's rumored to pull the strings of various stinger factions. I don't know who he or she is but I've got one definite information,this person controls a vessel called the Crimson Noble. As such,I'm giving you control over the vessel that'll protect everyone,I christen the ship,the Olympian Justice."

The hologram then shut off before David looked back to the technicians behind him, "Well,let's check out this ship then." most of the group decided it was better to gather the much needed supplies first while a handful went with David and Andrew.

(Ship Interior)

Through a little bit of prodding and probing,an entrance was found at the front of the ship and when they entered it,they discovered that it was a launch catapult as they went further into the hangar just beyond the catapult,there were nine empty docking bays,four at each side and one in the middle of the hangar,all appear to be made for mobile suits. "You think these will fit the Zakus too ?" Andrew's officer checked one of the docking bay's specifications and jumped back when a slot opened up and a rifle popped out, "Well,at least we know that the engineers will have weapons." David nodded at Andrew's comments as they went through the door that lead to the halls.

After finding various rooms the cafeteria,the medical bay,and now the bridge,the doors to the bridge opened up and saw that it wasn't the conventional bridge used by the Federation as the terminals were sectioned off. After investigation,they saw that the ship's status and communication terminals were right in front of the captain's chair while the navigations and shields control were at the end,they also found the weapon control terminal under the platform the captain's chair was by accident when one of the techs was heard yelling profanity when a laser turret blew his hat into a charred crumple and nearly his head too if he didn't bend over earlier to pick up his tool.

"Commander,you better check this out." Andrew went over to David's side and saw the terminal which displayed a large room,marked armory with a sub-category called Cyclops,next to the barracks which was rather small compared to the armory. "Think we should check it out ?" the two then left,letting the people that came with them look into the Olympian Justice's more advanced controls.

(Armory)

The door to the armory opened as the light from the halls dimly lit the armory,the walked in cautiously as their flashlights suddenly went out but fortunately,the lights turned on one by one,showing it's two occupants it's secret as dozens upon dozen of mechanical suits shined in the light,armed with multiple weapons,a group was armed with gatling guns,others missiles,cannons,pulse guns or a combination of sorts,the sole defining trait of each machine was that their canopy was a deep amber color.

Approaching the machines,a small pillar popped out and like before,Jake's hologram popped out, "This message goes to both Captain Schultz and the other members of the G Project." David looked down at his feet as he remembered the three pilots dying,all by Schilling's forces,he was thankful that Reika had survived.

"As you may have already see,the Olympian Justice has various design alterations that differs from the Federation's standards. Like the Cyclops you see before you,they are the fruits of my research,powered exo-suits that's as powerful a squad of fully equipped marines and able to take twice the damage. I've developed the Cyclops to aid you in the hopes that they'll take down the man behind the Crimson Noble,you'll find out all you need to know from the files I left behind on your desk,you should have found it by now according to my calculations. Good Luck."

The hologram disappeared,leaving the two to ponder on Jake's message,they decided to leave for now and repair the stations but just before the door closed,a ball of light floated around the armory,whistling a tune, "Did you hear that ?" "Hear what Commander Heinmann ?" he strained his ear to hear more but nothing was heard besides the sound of their breathing so he shook his head, "Nothing,must be the lack of sleep,might as well grab one of the rooms in the living quarters. See you later David." David saluted as Andrew walked away. "I wonder how you built all this secretly..."

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(Royal Grace,Manor)

Reina continued healing Argus when the healer had to attend to the injured civilians and guards who had escaped the remaining rampant drones. She looked sadly at Argus' battered body,she weeped softly,feeling that she could've done something to save him from getting hurt so much,she then felt a familiar warmth of a finger and heard Argus' words when he woke up from his near death experience at the Fortress of Light, "Now,now,why are you,a beautiful young woman crying ?" he said weakly before getting up but in his weakened state,his attempt was futile at best. Reina didn't know what to do as she watched Argus struggling to get up.

"You stay still while I get someone to look at you." Argus gladly complied as he laid still,happy that he's still alive though weakened as he is right now. The healer came back as she examined him,Reina looked a little worried as the healer checked his vitals, "Hmmm,well his body has several puncture wounds that are healing quite well,everything seems to check out,his magic levels are stable,the only thing wrong is that his body is depleted of physical energy,in other words he needs food." and as if on cue,Argus' stomach groaned,making the healer giggle and Reina gawked at the absurdity of Argus' condition. "Now that you mentioned it,I haven't had a bite to eat since yesterday morning."

The healer frowned at this as she glared at the prince, "Your Highness,you have got to look after yourself better,you are going to rule Eraklion one day and I'd prefer a king that can at least take care of himself as well as he cares for his people." she sighed as Argus nodded meekly, "Alright,I'll get the cook to whip something up." Argus nodded and she left to attend to her duties.

"So umm.." Argus uttered softly as he looked at Reina who just turned her back to him, "About my engagement...you do know that I had no idea about it right ? And I'm sorry for making you upset." Reina remained silent but turned around,walked up to him and gave him a stinging slap, "That was for making me worry about you!" "Ow!...Ok,I deserved that." Argus rubbed his sore cheek before he was pulled into a deep embrace, "Ok..I don't know if I deserved this but I hope this means that you've forgiven me."

She let him go and sat on the bedside, "I forgive you but it's really unfair...I truly wish I could be with you..." her eyes started tearing up but Argus hugged her from behind,a bit of his energy recovered. "I do too...maybe I could break the engagement and perhaps get our parent's blessings for our engagement." His mind started formulating plans for the future but they were all shot down when Reina said, "No you can't,your 19-year-long engagement can't possibly be broken so easily and it would possibly break your fiancee's heart."

"But what if she didn't know about this engagement as well ?" a drop of hope entered her mind but it dried up instantly, "What if she does ?What if that girl was raised up from childhood,her upbringing focused on the point of marrying you one day..what will you do then ?" this was a question that Argus couldn't answer, "I could....I could do nothing about it...but please,on the hope that the girl that I'm engaged to doesn't know about the engagement as well,you'll wait,won't you ?" Reina stood up,turned to him and bent over to give him a chaste kiss, "I will." she then walked out of the room. When she closed the door she hugged herself, "But I'm not keeping my hopes too high..." she bumped into Marion who was carrying several baskets of food, "Why don't you help me with these dearie" Reina nodded as she took a basket.

(30 Minutes Later)

After eating his food,Argus got dressed in new clothes and went out of his room,seeing that some of the civilians looked at him in awe. He smiled as he squatted down to a man who was holding a wounded arm, "Can you tell me what happened to you ?" the man looked at him meekly, "I was hit by one of the drones Your Highness while ushering my family to safety." he gestured to a woman caring for two sleeping children, "Then allow me to relieve you of your pain." he held his hand over the wound and almost instantly,it closed up as a small scar appeared on his arm,a drop of blood came out before it closed up as well.

"Thank you Your Highness." Argus nodded as he moved on,helping any wounded he could find and giving a boost to everyone's morale. He soon came across Oliver who was informed earlier of his current disposition and ran over to him, "Your Highness!Should you even be moving about ?" Argus put on a grin and said, "I'm the crown prince,the future king of Eraklion,I must see if my people are alright." he walked a few steps away before stopping, "And Oliver,could you do me a favor ?" Oliver stood still as he awaited Argus' orders, "Can you find out to whom I'm exactly engaged to ?" Oliver nodded slowly as he remembered why the garden was in ruins and a number of the guards were battered and bruised.

"Thank you...Hmm,very strange. Have you seen Trevor and Sera,I thought they would be around here somewhere." Oliver tugged at his shirt collar as he composed himself to tell Argus where they were, "T-They were-" "They're going to check on what's our location by going outside of the ship." though of course,the elven advisor was interrupted by Reina who was handing out food to the people. "What !?" Oliver backed away a bit as Argus' eyes glared at him, "Calm down Your Highness,there's no danger at all. The ship's scanners detect no dangers within the immediate area." his communicator beeped, "If you'll excuse me prince,I need to take this."

The moment he turned it on,a small alarm blared,startling everyone within earshot, "Advisor!The scanners have detected a contact in the vicinity and it's headed straight for the ship!" Oliver turned back nervously,expecting Argus to yell at him but all he saw was basket of food just falling onto the floor and the sounds of the door to the garden opening, "Oh dear..." he turned attention back to the communicator, "Resume your duties,I'll need to gather a few guards to help the prince."

"Are you sure it was right to leave just like that Argus ?" Reina asked,following Argus who was running in her fairy form, "Yeah!Besides,he'd only try to stop us." he suddenly stopped dead in his tracks, "What's wrong Argus ?" Reina landed next to him and looked at him as he shook his head, "I don't know...but I just felt a familiar presence nearby." Reina then sniffed the air and let out a calm breath, "Hmm..smells like the ocean,wonder if we've landed on a beach somewhere." Argus shrugged his shoulders before they continued on the pathways,the smell of the salty ocean guiding them.

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(Andros,Coral Beds,Exterior of the Royal Grace)

The hull of the Royal Grace was mostly intact after the impact into the dried up coral bed,only a few scratches marred it's exterior and piece of it suddenly launched itself outward,into the coral beds below. Trevor stepped out into the sunlight but didn't notice that the hatch was a few feet off of the ground so he fell into the ground below,he groaned while Sera snickered at his fall before making a comment, "You know,one of these days you're going to break your neck like that."

"I know...ugh..Mind tossing me the Geo-Scanner ?" Sera nodded and threw it out at his open hands but missed and hit Trevor's head instead, "Ow!That hurt...oh the scanner." he picked it up from a bunch of sea weed, "Wait a minute...is this seaweed ?" he poked it and it squelched under his finger, "Let's see if the Geo-Scanner can tell us where we are." The scanner then beeped,indicating it was done, "Ok,it says that we're in the coral reefs of Andros....wait,what ?" Trevor looked at the illustrations and the surrounding area and he still couldn't believe it.

"So where are we ?" Sera by now had sat down,her legs dangling over the edge,expecting to hear the answer, "You're going to need to see this for yourself to believe it." she gently grasped her hands in the the edge of the hatchway and vaulted herself down and walked over to Trevor who was about to hand the scanner to her but something hit it and shattered it against the ground, "What the !Who's there ?" Trevor made a move to grab his sword while Sera armed her claws,both waiting for an attack.

There was no reply,only the whistling of the wind to which Trevor brought out his sword in a defensive stance and it was hit by a giant metal fan that was deflected but instead of falling down,it turned it's way back to it's owner who was standing on the top deck of the Royal Grace. The person was wearing a cloak with a hood over their head so the identity of the attacker was unknown as the fan was retrieved,folded into a sword and the unknown jumped down,two swords at their sides before it opened up,twirling it around,creating a tornado of water,safely landing on the ground.

When the unknown landed,the cloak flapped in the wind,revealing the petite frame of a girl but Trevor didn't let his guard down as he eyed the swords in the girl's hands, "Who are you ?Why did you attack us ?" the girl just went into an attack stance, "My identity is none of your concern but your ship almost crushed me so you're going to pay!" the girl rushed Sera and promptly knocked her claws away before freezing her hands and to a part of the rocks supporting the corals and before Trevor could react,he was also knocked away and frozen in place.

"Damn!That was fast." the girl approached Trevor and looked at him as he looked at her icy blue eyes before looking away shyly, "For two people with Specialist-gear,you must be from Red Fountain but who knew the new generation is so weak." she chuckled and this made Trevor angry as he glared at her, "Aw,what you going to do ? Glare me to death ? Please don't make me laugh,there's no way a wuss like you can take me on." Tevor then used his magic to melt the ice, "That's it!You mad me mad!" and launched a surprise attack that the girl easily dodged.

"Big deal,you can use magic and have a short fuse,you can't beat me!" the girl unfurled the swords into their fan counterparts and charged him,he dodged the attack or so he thought as he then saw and barely took out his shield to deflect the blow, "Looks like the little wuss of a Specialist knows how to fight." Trevor yelled as he sent multiple fireballs at the girl,but a wave of water appeared out of nowhere and blocked it,creating a steamy mist, "Where are you!Tell me so I can send a fireball into your face!"

The girl's taunting echoed through the mist, "Temper,temper or you'll lose focus...not that you had much to begin with." the girl giggled as Trevor lashed out at where he thought the girl was but no one was there. "Trevor!Above you!" Sera yelled when she spotted their attacker sitting on a coral bed outcropping. "Oh darn it,you found my hiding place,you have really good eyes." her words dribbled in sarcasm before jumping into the mist and solidified them into ice,freezing Trevor into place but he once again melted it away. He roared as he sent fireball after fireball after the girl who yawned and let it hit her but it wasn't really her but an illusion created by a pink goo.

"Thought you'd hit me huh ? Well fat chance,you're such a lousy shot that you can't even hit the broadside of a Krakken!" Trevor suddenly lashed out with two blasts of fire but once again missed before he felt a tap on his shoulder,he turned around and saw the girl,and blasted a fireball at her,burning off the hood,revealing a face. "Hey!That was my favorite cloak!Now you're in for it!" she kicked Trevor back,before clapping her hands together,two waves of water appeared and pummeled him and she blew on her hands gently and whispered, _'Freezing Torment'_ and the waters encasing Trevor started freezing solid until, _'Inferno Claymore!'_ a flaming sword cut a swath through the ice and melted it and creating a force that sent the girl flying. Argus was standing at the edge of the hatch,a flaming sword in his hand dissipated "Stop this whoever you are ?Anesha ?" Anesha coughed as she laid on her back,her eyes then looked at Argus, "Argus? Is that you ?"

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(Pirate Ship,Hall)

The large creature punched him away as he flew a few inches away,the weight of his armor,keeping him rooted, "Humph!You are the intruder that infiltrated the ship ? I'll cut off your head and present it to the captain!" he roared as he removed a handle and two blades of plasma materialized,forming a curved hand guard and into two straight plasma blades,it charged him,ready to decapitate him if he hadn't sidestep the attack and fired the carbine,each shot pierced a shield similar to his own,fortunately the carbine's plasma-based rounds pierced through it and hit the creature,dealing mortal wounds.

As the creature laid there dying,it uttered out cryptic words, "May I meet my forefathers as I go on the Great Journey." before it died. Jake walked over to the corpse and closed it's eyes. Jake reloaded the carbine and moved on into the halls,running into more pirates glared at him, "Get him!" he ducked behind a corner when they all fired their weapons. In response,he took his two remaining shockwave grenades and tossed them in,the second going a little farther down the hall and crouched back into the corner,the two explosives detonated,dealing with the pirates.

After scavenging some more equipment,Jake fought his way through a few more hallways,encountering more and more pirates, "How in the world does a single ship has so many crew members." he muttered tiredly as he ran while dodging gunfire from the rear,he saw a door in a corner and ran through it before locking it up,hearing that his pursuers missed him. "Phew...that was close." he looked around and found himself in a room with a number of control terminals,he checked the controls and saw they were the gun controls but when he looked down,he saw a few of the pirates tied up with bruises or cuts on their bodies.

"How did they end up like this ?" his armor's radar spotted someone behind him and he turned around to meet a dagger,he held it back with his forearm and pushed back at the attacker and readied the carbine to fire but saw that the one who attacked him was a young girl,16 or 17 at least. The girl relaxed when he put away the weapon, "So who are you ?" Jake looked closely at the girl,the girl's hair was of an ash blond tone,her blue-green eyes stood out of her olive skin tone,she wore a halter top that went an inch above her middle,a sleeveless vest covered it and also held a few more daggers as she sheathed the one used earlier,and a pair of shorts with boots that seem typical of many spacers as they went up above the shin which Jake saw had small knives attached to them.

"I'm Commander Jacob Cain,I'm here to disable this pirate vessel and to continue on my way after I've dealt with the captain of the vessel." The girl giggled before nodding, "Well Mr Cain,my name is Marie Grazyk and I'm on an undercover mission for my captain to bring down this rogue crew and since we're after the same thing,we might as well work together." Jake nodded in agreement before turning to the terminals to shut the cannons off and reestablished contact with Zeke, "Zeke,Jake here. The cannons are out so you can move in the dropships now."

"Roger that,we'll rendezvous with you once we get into the hangar." he then went to the door and saw on his suit's internal radar read that there are several hostiles outside the door, "Come on Zeke,just make a flashy entrance like you always do." there was soon a sound of crashing that was followed by gunfire,the hostiles moved away and Jake opened the door and fired the two plasma pistols' charged blasts,taking out a few of the pirates who had their backs to him before he let loose the carbine on them while Marie threw her daggers skillfully,hitting the retreating pirates though they somehow reappeared back into her hands after their victims fall dead.

"How did you ? Nevermind,come quickly. We'll need to assist my men." Marie nodded but sped ahead of him, "You better follow me since I know these halls like the back of my hand." after a few minutes of running,they opened a door to the wrong room, "Like the back of your hand huh ?" Marie stuck her tongue out at him, "So sue me,at least you can get something better than those dinky pistols." He nodded before he grabbed a weapon larger than the pistols but Marie took it away from him, "Oh,I don't think you should use that gun,that Scarab Gun almost fried everyone when it was tested,here take this plasma rifle." she grinned as she handed him a gun similar to the one he just grabbed earlier,he looked at her with an odd look but Marie couldn't exactly tell as his face was hidden by his helmet as she led him again along the hallways.

Following the sounds of gunfire,Jake came back to the hangar he came in and like he predicted,his men were fighting the pirates,taking the Plasma Rifle,he aimed and pulled the trigger but was sent flying by the recoil as the weapon discharged a large bolt of energy like the ones a battleship's Phase Cannons,only more focused but just as devastating as it essentially cooked the pirates alive.

Zeke peeked out from his cover as he saw Jake,he waved enthusiastically as he ran over to him,the marines with him,came out cautiously,their weapons at the ready in case of enemy reinforcements, "Hey Jake,glad you made it..uh,who's the girl ?" Marie grinned as she introduced herself and unexpectedly,some of the marines pointed their weapons at her, "Stand down marines!She's with us." "But sir!She's a pirate,she might kill us when our backs are turned." Jake stood between the marines and Marie, "I said stand down,I'll take full responsibility for her actions." the marines uneasily obeyed,a little disgruntled.

"Good,now we need to go through the ship,eliminate any hostiles and locate the captain and take him down. That's why Miss Grazyk here will lead us to the ship's bridge." Marie waved at the marines who nodded slowly, "Ok boys,follow me...oh yeah,sorry about giving you the wrong gun Mr Cain they all look alike,here's the real plasma gun." with the overpowered gun replaced,the squad of marines and their leader followed Marie through the door and down the halls.

(30 Minutes Later)

The group had reached the location where Marie said the captain was with little incident and the number of guards at the door"Alright,there's a lot of guards here,I'll distract them while you go through the door." A couple of the marines volunteered to accompany Marie, "Aw thanks guys,we'll go on three...Ready...Three!" Marie yelled as she dashed into the corridor and threw her daggers quickly,hitting most of her intended targets,the two marines giving cover fire before they retreated as several pirates ran after them, "You can't catch me you slowpokes!" she laughed as she ran and dodged bullets and energy bolts.

"Well bud,that girl's either really brave or a real ditz." Jake nodded as he checked the carbine's remaining ammunition count, "Alright,let's go and finished this marines." the remaining soldiers nodded and charged through into the room and came face to face with a man sitting upon a simple swivel chair,the man looked to be in his early thirties as he looked calmly at the intruders before him, "Welcome to my ship,you Federation lapdogs!" one of the marines was angered by the insult and aimed to fire but Zeke stopped him, "It's your call Jake."

"You must be Captain Alphis Dracoy,come quietly or we'll have no choice but to use deadly force." Alphis laughed,mocking them before he got up from his seat and walked slowly down the steps from the ship's control, "My,my for mere pawns of the Federation,you sure are boastful,perhaps I should just kill you and present your heads to Lord Schilling." he pulled out a pistol from his gold trimmed jacket and aimed it at Jake's head, "What!?You mean Schilling is alive ?" Zeke looked cautiously at Jake as his hands curled into fists and with quick reflexes,he took out the carbine and fired,the plasma rounds hitting Alphis dead on.

After using the whole rounds canister,it ejected itself green gas flowing out as it hissed,Jake glared at Alphis as the pirate staggered to his feet and to everyone's surprise,laughed. "You think that I'll be harmed just by that ?" he took out another pistol and started firing,forcing everyone to duck for cover while Jake discarded the carbine and shoot at Alphis with the plasma rifle but the plasma bolts were merely absorbed or deflected by Alphis as Jake tried his best to evade his shots. The marines provided a distraction as they fired at him but to no avail, "Give it up!You can't hope to win!"

"I can try!Take this!" he took a plasma grenade and threw it at Alphis and since he was preoccupied with gloating,it exploded and just to be safe,he fired the plasma rifle until it overheated. "Zeke!Toss me a gun!" a pulse rifle was thrown over to him as he let loose the gun's energy bolts,hearing them pierce flesh, "Gah!I won't lose!" Jake was hit as a stream of energy bolts hit him in the chest,the brunt of the hit was taken by his shields before they failed completely,the small shield generator went off as it hummed to life again,trying to provide a recharge to the shields but it malfunctioned much to his chagrin. With no other weapons to help him and his shields now gone,Alphis sent another barrage at him. He ran as fast as he could before he jumped and crashed into the wall,disoriented from the hit.

Alphis laughed once more as he walked slowly on his wounded leg towards Jake and Zeke saw this, "Open fire!" the marines fired their pulse rifles while Zeke fired a handgun. Alphis didn't bothered as the energy bolts didn't touch him as he aimed both his pistols at Jake,ready to finish him off until Jake's hand grabbed something like a handle and in a desperate move,used it to attack Alphis and luckily it was a sword made of metal that pierced the pirate's armor and into his abdomen, "H..How...Lord S..Schil..ling,why..why did..your gift..failed me." he then fell back as Zeke pulled out the sword and threw it away,he looked at his blood-soaked hands as he remembered the day of his family's death,his vision was replaced with that of his ungloved hands,drenched in blood and instead of Alphis,he saw his family's corpses. He shook his head to clear his head but the stim-pack's effect had worn away by now as he fell asleep standing.

Zeke walked over to his friend as he knocked on the helmet's visor but the best he got was a snore before he fell back,still asleep after the fall. "Wow,deep sleeper huh ?" Zeke turned around to see Marie with the marines who accompanied her. She went over to Alphis' prone body and kicked it and he responded by groaning, "He's alive and coming with me to face a tribunal of the pirate lords." Zeke's communicator beeped as he answered it, "Sir!Multiple Gravitic Warp Tunnels opening up to the starboard and portside!The cannons are armed and ready to fire!" Marie was on her own communicator as she shouted to Zeke, "Don't worry,they're with me." "Well,you heard her,power down those guns." Zeke picked Jake up with some difficulty as he proceeded to take him back to the Diplo, "Man Jake,you really need to cut down on those ration packs. Well,better get you back before Cecille decides to come herself."

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Alright my dear readers,here is what I've written for you to read and hopefully,it'll tide you over since I'll be going into a hiatus for a while,how long it'll last,I don't know. Also,before I continue,I'd like to point out that some of the ideas in this chapter was written thanks to Shinryu.(not the character) Thanks for the help.

Furthermore,I believe you've read about the latest addition of Ocs,Marie Grazyk who belongs to White95,a friend of mine from the Tribal Wars site.

Now for this chapter's WiVo:

Since Argus has obtained some control over the elemental magic of water,where do you think he'll get to test it out in the mortal realm ?

A. Krakken's Lair

B. Andros Royal Palace

C. Ronand's Mining Operation Site


	27. Chapter 26

Author's note:Well,it appears that I haven't updated the story in quite a while and I apologize since I was busy with certain matters in my life. Now with that said and done,it is time to start this chapter.

On a side note:I'll be excluding some of the character segments to avoid more spoilers(and cause I'm too lazy).

Disclaimer:I don't own anything in this story that is related to Winx Club,Star Ocean:Till the End of Time and any other crossovers found in this story but I do own the most of Ocs and the plot-line.

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(Andros,Coral Reefs,Exterior the of Royal Grace)

Argus jumped down from the hatch and made his way towards Anesha who was currently pinned down by Trevor who earlier took the opportunity to tackle and pin her down with his sword,inches away from her face, "So you think you got me pinned huh ?" Trevor remained silent as he glared at her,moving the tip of his sword closer to her face as he was unaware that Anesha was aiming for his rear with a leg made from pink goo and the tip of the feet made of ice but Argus then cut off the sharp tip and took the sword from Trevor's hands, "Stand down Trevor." Trevor was reluctant as he took out a dagger,holding up against her neck.

"Are you crazy ?! She attacked us!She nearly killed me for no reason!" during his tirade,Anesha used the Morfix leg to kick him in the rear and sent him flying a few good feet, "Hello!Your ship nearly made me into a princess pate!" Argus helped her up as he looked at her, "Hey Trevor,you alright ?" Trevor groaned as he got back up and pulled a blaster at Anesha. Argus quickly went to her defense, "Put the blaster down Trevor,she's my friend." Trevor nodded and hesitantly lowered the weapon. "Thanks,allow me to introduce my long time friend, Princess Anastasia Tydiana La Andros but she prefers to be called Anesha." Anesha yawned at this,before giving Argus a noogie to which he protested as he smoothed back his hair, "Thanks buddy but I doubt your friend has time to listen before she freezes her ears off." Argus raised his eyebrow at this comment before Trevor evidently panicked and ran over to Sera who was still trapped in ice.

"G..Gee..g..gla..glad you re....bered me!" Sera was chattering her teeth as Trevor flash melted the ice around her,she fell forward before going into a fetal position,trying to warm herself up,Trevor placed his jacket over her as he created a fireball to warm her up, "Tha..Thanks..thought I would become a Specialist-cicle for bit there...ah a li..little better." Trevor looked as Sera warmed herself with his fire,he decided to ask Sera a question while they were like this, "Sera...are you a fairy ?" Sera looked at him and answer with a hint of nervousness, "You're kidding right ? If I was a fairy,I would've turned into one by now." Trevor nodded and coughed to cover his embarrassment. Sera didn't notice this as she sat closer to the fire

"So Argus,what are you doing here anyway ?" Argus chuckled nervously a bit as he gestured at the Royal Grace, "Well...you see,it's a long story..but basically,we've crashed landed here by coincidence,the whole story best told when we get to your palace." Anesha nodded before she spotted his new armband, "Cool!Is that the unreleased Battle-Armbands GX3000 ?" Argus showed his friend the armbands as her eyes suddenly had an odd glimmer in her eyes as she examined it,while asking questions until she felt his muscle, "Ah...I see you've finally gained some muscles on those skinny bones of yours,at least Red Fountain produced nice lean Specialists if not hot-headed wimps like that guy over there." in response,Trevor sent a small fireball at her but she doused it out with some ice she conjured.

While Anesha chatted with Argus,Reina looked at them,happy that no one had truly got hurt but there was a twinge of jealousy in her heart as she saw Anesha chatting with Argus so happily,she decided to join in so as not to feel left out but tripped and fell out of the hatch but Argus heard her yelp as he dashed over and held out his arms as Reina fell into them in the nick of time, "You okay Reina ?" "Yeah...I'm alright." Anesha approached them as she teased them a bit, "Aw,aren't you two the cutest couple I ever seen,you two on your honeymoon ?." They remembered their position before Argus hastily put Reina down,their faces flushed with red but before Anesha could tease them some more,several skeletons rosed up from nowhere and surrounded them.

"How did these things get here ?" Argus took out twin long swords and went into a defensive stance,intending to protect Reina while Anesha took out her Blade Fans in their unfurled form,taking a few arrows that pinged off of the large surface area of her weapon as she attacked the nearest group of undead, "Reina,get to Trevor,he may need help,I'll go after Anesha." Reina reluctantly nodded as she transformed into her fairy form and flew towards Trevor who was barely holding off the monsters as his movement was sluggish when the side effects of being frozen kicked in,though Sera had the short end of the stick as her body was still too numb to hold even a blaster as she had no choice but to leave the fighting to Trevor but was relieved when Reina joined in the fray with her magic though the fairy wished that her magic was holy-based like her friend Rosa instead of her fire magic as her fireballs were having not much effect as the skeletons were damp from the sea air but she kept using her magic as she had forgotten her pouch belt back on the Royal Grace.

While Reina and Trevor fought off the skeletons on their end,Argus caught up with Anesha who was now fighting a large number of skeletal creatures that were once living sea creatures of Andros' past,a large being made of mangled bones and decomposing scales screeched before making a rush at Anesha's unguarded back but Argus cut in between it and Anesha before it was sent flying off in pieces, "Did I asked for your help ?" Anesha complained as she deflected a few blows and countered as more bones were sent flying. Argus defeated a few more foes before his back came in contact with Anesha's, "A simple 'Thank you' would've been nice!" the two started fighting in synchronization,their moves seemed as they'd complimented each other's techniques as they quickly defeated the monsters in a matter of minutes.

Argus bent over to a piece of bone and examined it before using his armband to analyze it, "Odd...it says that these bones have been buried under layers of sediment and rock for centuries if not a millennium or more...these bones are ancient,they're rock solid fossils,what's going on here Anesha ?" Anesha looked at her fans that were nicked all over as she barely folded them up and put them away, "Well Argus...you see..Andros is.." before she could tell Argus something,a scream was heard and Argus ran off with Anesha in tow though when they reached the source of the scream,they were rather disappointed but relieved that the source of the scream came from Trevor as Sera who had warmed up enough to move properly again was bandaging up his wounds he got in the fight, "Ow!Ow!It stings so much!" he was hit over the head by Sera as she rubbed her forehead, "Would you quit it with your whining." Trevor whimpered but growled when he saw Anesha, "Thanks to your freeze attack,my skin is suffering freezer burn!Argh!" Sera had intentionally bound a bandage a little too tightly to shut Trevor up while Reina quietly healed the burns as best as she could.

"Hehe,aw the little hothead of a specialist can't handle frostbite too well ?" Trevor subconsciously let loose a fiery aura that was suppressed when Aiden inside of Trevor pulled it back in _'Easy there young Trevor,now is not the time to go berserk here.'_ Argus pulled Anesha away before whispering into her ear, "Why Argus,I didn't knew you had it in you..." Anesha purred teasingly as Argus groaned as he really disliked her teasing at that moment, "Enough Anastasia,it's better to not provoke him if I were you." Anesha stomped his foot as he hopped on one foot in pain, "Well you're not me now are you!And it's Anesha to you jerk!" she sauntered off into the the coral beds before Reina went to Argus, "Are you alright Argus..." Argus nodded as the pain quickly dulled,he brought out a communicator and intended to contact Oliver until the elf himself showed up with a compliment of guards with him.

"Your Highness!Are you alright ?" he climbed down carefully on a rope ladder followed by the guards with him who jumped down instead of using the ladder, "Good,you're here,what's the status of the Royal Grace,is she operational ?" Oliver shook his head, "Unfortunately,the ship will not be able to move she needs replacement parts that aren't even produced anymore." Argus nodded as he looked at the grand ship before him,that had served his family for generations..now a wreck that's possibly beyond repair, "I understand,alright I want everyone aboard the ship evacuated,with the drones gone amok and skeleton soldiers here,the people must be moved to safety."

"Skeleton soldiers ?" Oliver looked around saw the remains of the undead attackers "I see your reasoning Your Highness but where will we go ?" Argus looked in the surrounding area and he remembered something, "The Eraklion Family Summer Home,it should be in that direction,have the guards escort the civilians while we scout ahead." Oliver nodded before he followed the guards back inside. Reina retrieved her belt from a guard who brought it to her as she thanked him,he blushed before saluting and running back. "Alright,is everyone ready ?" Argus turned around to see everyone readying themselves while a couple of guards remained at the hatch,probably to keep the monsters out. "Be careful out there Your Highness!" Argus nodded before they left in the direction of where the castle was supposed to be at.

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(Elicoor II,Village of Arias)

After the war was over,Airyglyph and Aquaria sent supplies to rebuild the border village that had suffered so much during the war and it had came a long way since then as the village was mostly restored. Since the owner of the mansion had permanently moved into Peterny,the mansion was converted into a security outpost though it was only done so as a formality as the mansion remained the same as it did,only a small company of a few soldiers from Airyglyph and Aquaria were stationed there. A carriage outside the mansion was seen as the Lums pulling it were led away to the stables,a few curious children peeked around but was found by their mother as she took them by the ears and went back home with them in tow.

Inside the living room,Claire set a tray with teacups down on the small table before filling them with tea and passed them to everyone, "Thanks Claire." Roger tried to flirt with her but one look at Adray's eyes,he decided to quit before things get out of hand. "Well,how is our patient Miss Lasbard ?" Elena was a little curious about Luther's condition as she drank the tea despite it being piping hot and be unaffected by it. "Well,he's recuperating quite well. No serious injuries were inflicted so all he needed were some minor healing,food and plenty of rest and he should be up within a few days." Footsteps from the creaky stairs were heard before the door opened as Luther walked in making everyone besides Elena tensed, "I beg to differ my dear hostess but I thank you for that humble meal."

Luther leaned over and kissed Claire's hand, "But you should be in bed,resting...how ?" Claire was blushing heavily as Luther looked at her with his eyes, "I am the Creator." he replied simply and turned around to address Nel and the others in a humbled manner,a far cry from what he used to be like, "You've changed..."

Luther nodded as he gestured to his clothes,tattered as they were,they were probably the only things he had now, "Many things has happened since my defeat that day.. I learned that my views were wrong as I managed to reverse the deletion just in time but after that I found myself weak and as helpless as a newborn baby just outside the shrine and was unfortunately found by that Darkar entity and since been confined in that dungeon since then. I tried to resist his attempts to control me until my willpower finally finally gave out...trying to break my soul and take over my body. My last trump card was to summon some Executioners to attract some help,he would have succeeded in taking over my body and if you haven't come,his powers would've devastated your world and countless others if you had not arrived in time. I thank you for stopping him." he bowed to the three and Roger decided to take advantage of it.

"Well,since you're sorry and all,I'm sure if you make me taller I can forgive you." Luther grunted as he created a holo-console and started typing on it before Roger found himself growing taller as his field of vision became higher and when he opened his eyes,he was overlooking everyone, "Cool!I'm tall now!Hey,what are you laughing at ?" Claire and Nel were giggling like schoolgirls which was unusual to say the least,Adray was holding in his laughter with his large hands while Luther and Elena chuckled softly. Roger looked at himself and screamed hysterically as he saw his body didn't exactly became tall,merely stretched like taffy or chewed up gum,his body was disproportionate as his elongated body twirled and wobbled when he tried to move his still short legs, "Aahh!Change me back!Change me back!" Luther complied with a smirk as he changed Roger back to his old self with a single pop. "With the tension now gone,I believe you all have some questions for me." Luther sat down as we prepared himself to answer their questions.

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(Diplo II,Jake's Quarters)

Cecille sighed deeply while she monitored Jake's vitals as he slept like a log in his bed,it's been 5 hours since he was tucked into his bed. Zeke curiously poked and probed the suit of armor that Jake had used in the assault on the pirate ship,it was removed the moment he was back in his room,Zeke tried to put on the gauntlet and flexed his finger,trying to test it's power as he easily crushed a block of steel made from the Replicator and surprised himself as he quickly dumped the crushed cube into the Replicator and removed the glove.

Cecille nearly had a heart attack when Jake moaned in his sleep,she looked at his vitals before calming herself down. "Hmm,Zeke mind getting me some Physical Enhancers from the Replicator ?" Zeke nodded as he punched in the commands but due to the presence of the steel still not recycled,interfered with the process and shorted it out evidently when short-circuited. "Um,maybe I should get them from the Replicator down the hall ?" Cecille's glare told plenty as Zeke jogged if not bolted out of the room.

When she was certain Jake was fine,she put away her medical equipment and for some reason,found herself touching Jake's chest not for medical purposes but for mere pleasure,giggling a bit before she stopped herself and yawned as she stretched her arms up, "So you sleepy yet ?" Cecille yelped when she heard Jake wide awake with a smug smirk on his face, "Wait..you were awake ? Um,you didn't see me touching your chest did you ?"

"Actually,I woke up because of that..what did you do that for ?" Cecille blinked as she suddenly found her fingers interesting, "Um..oh that's it!" Jake was taken aback by her outburst,unexpectedly she confessed her feelings right there and then, "I've been keeping this in for years already and hell if I lose my chance again...I love you ok!" Cecille was trembling in anticipation as she wasn't sure how Jake would react, _'Why did I just let it out like that!We just re-established our friendship a few hours ago for goodness' sake!I hope he doesn't reject me...'_ she flinched when she felt Jake's hand on her left cheek.

"Cecille..I know you love me...but.." he hesitated as Cecille mentally prepared herself to be let down but got an answer she didn't expect, "..I think that we may have a chance to make this work...but can you please..just be patient for just a bit longer..just until we get back to Earth,ok?" Cecille smiled before she put her hands on Jake's cheeks, "Alright..I will but let me just have one kiss so that I can feel that this is real and not a dream.." Jake nodded as the gap between their faces closed,their lips soon touched and stayed there as they kissed and Jake fell back onto his pillow with Cecille in tow.

"Aw geez,first I shorted out Jake's Replicator and now I punched in the wrong amount of Physical Enhancers to make!" Zeke grumbled as he carried in his arms over a dozen Physical Enhancers as one dropped down and rolled over to the entrance to Jake's quarters,he bent down slowly to get the item before he entered the room as the door silently opened,his jaw dropped as he saw Jake and Cecille making out as he quickly deposited the medicine and turned around, "Maybe I'll come back later..." the two hardly noticed him as they continued kissing.

Zeke let out a sigh of relief as he had expected at least Cecille to react angrily to his intrusion, "What'cha sighing about ?" Zeke almost yelped in surprise when Marie Grazyk seemingly came out of nowhere along with two men dressed in attires that reminded him of colonial pirates from Earth's past but with a spacer's touch to it. "Oh,these guys are representing the Blood Hawk pirates,that's the group that I'm under." one of the representatives approached him and saluted, "Greetings sir,I'm Ed and that's my younger brother Al we're here to meet with your captain."

Zeke then remembered that Jake was in his room,probably still making out with Cecille, "Um..er,he's busy at the moment so would you gentlemen mind waiting for him in the conference room ? Allow me to show the way." the two nodded before they let themselves be guided there but the door to Jake's quarters opened up as he stepped out,in uniform and not a hint of his make out session with Cecille on him as he adjusted his uniform's collar, "I believe that won't be necessary gentlemen,please state your business." the two men nodded as they materialized a large case to Jake's surprise and presented it to him, "This is to show our captain's gratitude for helping us in taking care of Alphis." Jake opened it and was a bit intrigued to see a set of modules that upon further inspection were experimental devices made for the Mobile Suit Project,devices that were supposedly stolen by a renegade group,he eyed the two men presenting the modules to him.

"These modules were discovered aboard Alphis' ship,our captain decided that they'd be more useful in your possession than ours. Now if you'll excuse us,we must be leaving now. Come Miss Grazyk." the two men were then surrounded by swirling lights just as Marie was, "Too bad though,I wanted to stay and see your ship some more. Oh yeah,please move your ship,it'll be getting real toasty soon,well bye!" and with that they were teleported away,probably back to their ship. Jake's communicator beeped as he received a message from the bridge crew, "Sir,the pirate fleet is moving away..Wait,they're hailing us,it's a message to tell us to move away. Should I do it sir ?"

Jake remembered Marie's words as he replied, "Do it and do it quickly." within a few minutes,Jake opened up a monitor in the hallway to exterior view and saw Alphis' ship being scuttled as several explosions inside it caused it to implode as it's engines overloaded. In the aftermath,Alphis' ship remained mostly intact,that is until the pirate fleet opened fire on it,completely decimating it,leaving only scraps of metal which floated in the deep darkness of space and during that time,the pirate fleet had already warped out of the area.

The three looked at the event that unfolded before them and were unaffected by the destruction of the ship but were amazed at the precision of the scuttling. Jake shut the video feed off before walking towards the hangar, "Where're you going ?" Jake replied casually, "To the Hangar,where else ? Oh,and Cecille.." Cecille became flustered as answered back, "Yes Jake ?" Jake smirked,making her blush, "I believe that we can attend the Seraphim Sisters concert once we return back to Moonbase,it'll be a good first date. You can get us an extra ticket can't you Zeke ?" Zeke looked at the two of them before nodding, "Yeah..sure,I think I can get a hold of another ticket." Jake smiled before he walked away,leaving Zeke to ask Cecille some questions about her and Jake.

(Meanwhile,Pirate Fleet Flagship)

Marie was being escorted by Ed and Al to the bridge,they stopped and the two brothers saluted while Marie just waved at the captain who was seated in his chair,a chuckle was heard as he rose from his seat,a wooden cane tapped the floor as the room was slowly illuminated by light sources that were arranged in a similar appearance to runes.

The light revealed the entire bridge as the silent bridge crew worked at their stations,some of which were of the same species of aliens that had served Alphis but wore somewhat faded armor of different colors,the majority being blue,a handful of what appeared to be floating organs were hovering about as their multiple tentacle-like limbs tended to the engineering before they silently left.

The captain now stood before everyone,most people would've thought a pirate captain to be cold and cruel-looking,the type where people expect one to consume the souls of his victims,demonic even but instead of that exaggerated view of pirates it was James Rosen,finishing a piece of taffy as his other hand rested on his cane, "Good work Marie,now that Alphis' crew is in custody,I believe that it is time to chart a course to the Sanghelios,these criminals need to be handed over to them for proper judgment,and it's also an opportunity for the crew to visit their family." some of the aliens cheered as they heard they were going home before they returned to their duties,James sat back down as he looked happily at a photo that he was in,it was with Thomas,Fayt,Sophia and that Shinryu he met during his trip to Expel. "That boy was quite odd for being part dragon." while he reminisced about the past,his fleet changed course to a world called Sanghelios.

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(70 S.D,Aboard the S.S Star of Passion)

Two weeks had already passed since Shinryu joined the passenger list,though of course several events had transpired within that time like for example when Thomas learned that Shinryu was staying in the cabin next to theirs and discovered how many colorful words he knew and how he thanked god that Sophia wasn't there to hear him,other odd and somewhat comedic events occurred which should have forged an intense hatred or at least a strong dislike of each other directed at Shinryu on Thomas' part but instead a great friendship of the Trio was formed and thanks to each other's help , Thomas managed to retrieve 7 more parts for his Time-Watch to boot.

"This is your captain speaking. After these past few weeks of voyaging through the beautiful darkness of space,we will be entering Gravitic Warp and arrive at our destination within a few hours so please prepare to pack up any personal belongings. Good day" Thomas smirked as he eyed Shinryu let out a sigh of relief, "Looks like the captain didn't announce the mishap concerning you gorging yourself on the ship's food supply." Shinryu's eyes flashed red as he spoke again, "Well I forgot that our bracelets couldn't support our body after that run in with those phantoms in the cargo hold,just be grateful that we didn't give in to the carnal cravings we had,it's a good thing the girl didn't see us." Shinryu's eyes flashed blue as Kasua took over, "Indeed,I didn't think we could even use the memory erasure spell even if we wanted to,we better be happy that things didn't get any worst." His eyes return back to normal as he grunted.

"You know you always could warn me before you take over you know." Thomas chuckled as he put his arm over Shinryu's shoulder, "Come on,we better get back to our cabins before Miss Sophia start getting worried,though I'm still surprise how you can stay near her and she remains so calm...you didn't do anything to her did you ? Cause if you did.." Shinryu shook his head, "I already told you,I wouldn't touch her and besides after all that help I gave you to get those trinkets of yours,one might think that'd you give me some trust." Thomas nodded, "I suppose I do,so I apologize."

Shinryu shrugged his shoulders as he turned his head, "None needed,after all I'm known in several worlds as a merciless bounty hunter so trust is often a commodity I find quite rare." Thomas nodded in understanding a bit of guilt plaguing his heart, "Hey how about some drinks,my treat."_ 'Take the boy's offer Shinryu,your body still requires some sustenance' _Shinryu accepted the offer as he was led to the bar.

(Later)

Sophia was laughing at her two companions as they poked fun at each other, "I can't believe that you still drink milk even if your already at your age." Thomas poked at Shinryu's dignity as he mentally glowered at his spiritual companions, _'Go for the milk you said,I should've listened to Mera and took the wine' 'Well you needed the most nutritious drink and I doubt alcohol is good for one's health'_ Shinryu ignored Kasua as he packed up his small pack of belongings.

"Alright Mr Tea and Crumpets,why don't you help me carry my pack while I go to the departure point." he tossed it at Thomas who struggled under the weight as he was already carrying both his and Sophia's bags and the sudden addition of luggage didn't help as he stumbled over and fell as Sophia's new bag of stuffed animals pilled on him,adding insult to injury as Shinryu chuckles before helping Thomas up.

"You really love messing with me don't you ?" Shinryu shook his head slowly, "Not at all,it's second nature to me by now." Sophia giggled as she helped with the repacking. Thomas stopped when he happened upon a doll that wasn't an animal but a handmade one of an unfinished person,wearing a suit that most englishmen might wear back in his time but before he could look at it even more,Sophia snatched it away and put it into a small box that had fallen out. "Please don't look at it,it's not done yet!" Thomas thought about it and decided to press forward a question, "Miss Sophia,was that a doll of-" he then felt himself being pulled up, "Come on,you'll be carrying the luggage pack boy." Thomas reluctantly picked up the luggage as the three made their way to the departure point where the shuttles will take them to the Orbital Elevator that will take them down to Expel.

(Expel,Shingo Forest)

A young woman dressed like the garbs of a hunter laid sleepily on the grass as she gazed at the blue sky,she frowned when she saw the high column that was the Orbital Elevator,she got up as she then felt an odd presence, "Weird,felt like another sentient dragon's aura,probably just my imagination,might as well get back and cash in on these parts." she picked up her cloak and put it on before strolling away,leaving the Shingo Forest as peaceful as it was before,except for the dead body of a gorilla-like beast,it appeared to have been gutted by a large beast as claw marks riddled it's hide,and the slightly moist sack carried by the young woman indicated where the insides went to. She started whistling a tune as she strolled out of the area before the area experienced a sudden rush of wind and a roar was heard before the girl disappeared.

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(Andros,Cliffside)

After trekking through the coral beds,the group finally reached a cliff face where they could climb up, "Here Reina,let me help you." Reina accepted Argus' outstretched hand before she was lightly pulled up, "You alright ?" Reina nodded before she saw the coral beds' condition from there,the corals weren't the only areas affected by this lack of water as several stretches of water were missing, "What has happened to Andros...?" Trevor looked at the devastation before them as he sought advice from Aiden, _ 'What do you think happened Aiden ?' _a few moments of mental silence passed before a reply was heard _'I do not know,the local spirits nearby say it was not caused by magic and that's all they know'_

Sera picked up a piece of coral and it crumbled apart within her hand, "Whatever caused this,has been here for quite a while." before the group could contemplate that situation further,an explosion was heard before sounds of metal clashing accompanied by energy blasts, "What in the blue blazes was that !?" everyone soon saw several plumes of smoke coming from the forest the bordered the cliff area, "We better check it out." Argus ran ahead,leaving no room for protest as the rest followed him,just keeping up as he raced towards the direction of the smoke plumes.

(Village Outskirts)

Argus kept going in the direction of the smoke plumes as thoughts ran through his mind _'That direction!...The village..the people!'_ he finally came out of the forest as his eyes laid upon a small village where a part of the wall surrounding it had a large smoking hole in it as a few skeleton soldiers lay shattered,as pink morfix covered some of the pieces,evidence that Anesha just came through here. Argus leaped through the hole as he dove in between a number of skeleton creatures and their would be-victims of a little girl and her father who had apparently tried to fight the creatures, "Please save us!" Argus drew out his longswords as he cut the monsters down and charred the remains with a fireball to make sure they won't rise up just in case.

"Get to safety." but despite his command,the family of two didn't move as the father struggled back to his feet as he picked up his cudgel, "Safety?..There isn't a safe place in this village anymore save for the castle but it's being sieged by those blasted skeletons and the Army of Darkness!" the man nearly fell down again before Argus caught him as the man's daughter pleaded with him to stay, "Papa,please you can't fight anymore!" the man relented as he sat back down and took heavy breaths,indicating his exhaustion which Argus remedied with his magic.

"This magic...Prince Argus ?" Argus nodded as he completed the healing spell before the man started laughing for joy, "It made it!The SOS signal went through!We're saved!We're saved!After five long months of attacks by those monsters,we're finally saved!" Argus was a bit shocked to hear that Andros might have been in this condition for so long but the sounds of metal clashing against metal interrupted his train of thought, "Get to the breach in the wall,my friends should arrive soon enough with a number of Eraklion soldiers." the man nodded as he took his daughter by the hand and moved to safety while Argus ran towards the sounds of battle.

Anesha was holding off a creature that looked like a hybrid of a Juggernaut and an undead skeleton as it swung it's bony fist at her deployed Blade Fans but during the onslaught of punches,a skeletal archer slipped through and aimed it's arrow at her exposed back but Anesha sent it reeling as a ball of morfix pinned it to the ground before it went into a spasm and hardened,sealing the undead in it. But while she was controlling the morfix,her grip on her weapons slipped as she was sent flying back before she recovered in midair and dug her feet into the ground,her weapons ready to be returned to their owner but an arrow knocked one to the ground.

Anesha took hold of her only weapon as she created a solid shield of water from a nearby well for defense while the single Blade Fan served on the offense as she cut down a skeleton but somehow a few bloated Decay Larvae latched onto the liquid shield as they unexpectedly exploded,forcing Anesha to lose control of the water and her eyes laid upon a barrage of arrows as they headed for her but this time she couldn't react in time and closed her eyes,waiting for the pain to come but instead of feeling the piercings of dozens of arrows,a brief moment of intense heat radiated in front of her.

Opening her eyes,Anesha saw the arrows turning into ash as the melted arrowheads turned into puddles of slag,and Argus sending two waves of fire at the monsters before using his longswords to finish off the ones still standing,he soon recalled his weapons into the armband,picked up Anesha's weapon and tossed it to her,both of them smirking. "Thanks for..you know saving me." Argus' smirk grew into a grin, "Heh,I finally got a thank you..ow!" Argus flinched as Anesha punched his arm, "Well don't expect that to happen again..oh and two for flinching!" as Anesha punched him again twice.

While the two were distracted,more skeletons and creatures of darkness surrounded them, "Why don't we catch up some more after I deal with this ok Argus ?" Argus smiled as he called for his longswords again while Anesha readied her Blade Fans, "Care to dance ?" "Sure why not ?" the two crouched low before they leaped into the air with a midair flip and landed with the mass of monsters in between them as they performed a spinning motion that increased in speed as they danced into the monsters as their weapons sliced them apart like swirling typhoons of blades before they finished their dance with a swift slashing motion from both their weapons,creating a wave of magic that took out the remaining enemies.

"Well that was a good workout." Anesha yawned as she stretched her arms before putting away her dual Blade Fans, "Now I better check on the people." Argus followed her,his eyes surveying the village ruins as some of them burned, "What happened here Anesha ?" Anesha stopped dead in her tracks,her hands balled into fists but relaxed them as she told him how Andros became like this, "An armada of unknown ships descended upon Andros a few months ago,we've sent a squad of mermaids to scout out the ships,they never returned and within a week,the sea levels lowered as we had lost contact with one of our mining posts which was soon replaced with a massive base. Father established a defense line of several thousand mermaids and soldiers with him at the head of it but they all fell,only a few troopers survived just to bring my wounded father home. Our communication capabilities were jammed when we called for help,it's been months since they started assaulting Andros itself and we've been slowly losing ground ever since.."

"And your father ?..." Anesha shed some tears, "..In a coma,all because of a stupid poisoned dart that hit him during battle,our mages are doing everything in their powers to bring him out of it but they're still unsuccessful." Argus approached her and laid his hand on her shoulder, "Perhaps I can help,after all my Dragon Fire may be able to counteract the poison." Anesha smiled a little as she dried her tears and leaned into Argus who was a little shocked since he remembered Anesha as a tough Tomboy so he just hugged her closer.

After a few minutes,Anesha pulled away, "I know I said you wouldn't here me say another 'thank you'...so um..yeah I won't so there!" Argus chuckled at this, "Same old Anesha,you go ahead while I wait for my friends." Anesha shrugged her shoulders as she walked away, "Fine,meet you at your Summer Home,the guards there would be happy to see you." Argus nodded before they separated for their respective destination but as Anesha was walking through the ruined village,Anesha heard a comment by a hidden individual, "Too bad your father the king is in a coma,and with their king unable to rule,it's only a matter of time before Andros falls." Anesha looked around to find out who said those words, "Who's there ?Come on out and say that to my face!"

The unknown individual giggled before light but audible footsteps of a pair of high heels was heard, "I would oblige you princess but I hate repeating myself." it was Ronand's assistant,Celina. "Who are you ?" Anesha reached for her Blade Fans but Celina threw a dart at her feet which unexpectedly launched a binding spell as her body became immobilized, "Ah,. I wouldn't struggle if I were you,my friends here wouldn't like that." Celina stood aside as two Beast Troopers lumbered out of the shadows,their usual crab-like claws replaced with crude looking crossbows made up of a number of Decay Larvae,one squirmed before it turned into an arrow bolt,ready to be fired at her so Anesha stopped struggling in compliance, "Okay,what do you want ?"

Celina giggled as she sauntered over to Anesha, "No my dear,it's not what I want but what you want..a remedy for your father's condition." Celina held a vial before Anesha,a flash of desperation glimmered in her eyes before she stopped herself, "How do I know it's not poison ?" the woman giggled again much to her captive's annoyance, "It's up to you to whether it's poison or not." Anesha then smirked as she smugly rebuffed the woman's offer, "Well you can keep it cause my friend Argus will heal my father with his Dragon's Fire magic,so you can just choke on it for all I care!" Celina shrugged her shoulders as she sauntered off,the Beast Troopers parting away to make room for her, "Suit yourself dear but if you change your mind,use that dart to call me." she entered a hidden portal before it winked out of existence,the Beast Troopers simply melted into thousands of Decay Larvae that slithered away into the village ruins.

Anesha's enchanted bindings faded,allowing her to move again so she bent down and took the dart into her hand and felt the previous binding spell being turned into a portal spell,a wave of doubt passed over her as she contemplated whether or not to discard the enchanted dart she weighed her faith in either Argus' powers or the one who might have an antidote ready and waiting, "Damn it!Why is it so hard ?" footsteps were heard not too far off before she took out her Blade Fans,ready to attack but luckily stop just before decapitating Argus. "Watch where you swing that thing."

Anesha immediately pulled back her weapons, "So did you encounter any monsters around here ? Argus spotted a few Larvae that just slid into a hole."You could say that,well since we're here and all..um race ya to the Summer Home!" Anesha declared just as she dashed off,leaving the others in her dust. Trevor was ready to take up her challenge but was stopped by Argus, "No,let her be we need you to help us with the escort of the citizens while Reina and Sera help with my sister." Trevor looked back to see the people from the Royal Grace,the guards acting as their escort and by the looks of it,they had encountered the skeleton monsters as there were bits and pieces of bone on the guards' uniforms. "Sire!We need a safe place for the people to rest,they are exhausted and our strength won't hold out long." Oliver huffed as he regained his second wind. "Shall we go to the Summer Palace ?" Argus nodded as he led them to their destination.

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(Red Fountain,Post-battle)

It had taken quite a while but the Army of Decay was defeated as Fayt holstered the Dragoon Laser,giving his sword hand a good workout as he took a few practice swings with Levantine. Rylon walked up to him with a big smile on his face, "Well done young man!You sure gave our students a run for their money,would you consider being an instructor here at Red Fountain ?" Fayt seriously considered it,since the Diplo's crew could only earn their income through missions as mercenaries which more often than not,were quite dangerous but he'll need to talk to Maria about it when he returns, "I'll think about it." "Good,by the way,Saladin wants to see you and your comrades. He's at the arena on top of the tower,he's got something for you." Fayt nodded but he hesitated as he saw the wounded heroes-in-training being carried to the medical tents for immediate treatment.

"Don't worry,we'll handle them,they'll be back on their feet in no time at all. After all,our Healing Salve worked wonders for your hand didn't it ?" Fayt nodded before he started walking towards the tower but he stopped again when he looked at the sheer size of the structure as he remembered he didn't exactly know the school's layout but his problem was solved in the form of a red-winged dragon settling down in front of him, "His partner isn't here right now but he'll take you up to where Saladin is." Fayt nodded before he got into the saddle on the dragon's back and off he flew as the dragon flapped it's wings,making it's way to the tower arena and just in time too as the group arriving for medical attention were the ones from the first and second defense line that suffered severely as many students were barely even walking as Rylon even saw a few that one or two had their limbs twisted in a way that it made it painful just to look, "Good thing there weren't any casualties...yet....better tell the fairies to get ready to use their magic." Rylon's then gave one of the Specialists a hand in carrying an injured student to the tents for treatment.

(Tower Arena)

When Fayt was just above the arena,he patted the dragon on it's back before he leaped off the winged-beast and landed just in front of Saladin who was surprised by Fayt's choice of entrance but gestured for Fayt to follow him which led them to one section of the arena wall where Saladin chanted a spell which Fayt couldn't follow but a previously concealed panel appeared upon which the aged man inputted the codes that did something which caused Fayt to jump back as the arena grounds suddenly opened up,letting a large platform rise out of the ground and when it stopped rising,a device set at the top of the structure let out an array of beams that created a transparent staircase which Arune told Fayt to go up, "There's an item up there,please..Go and see if you can get it for me." Fayt walked onto the first few steps carefully on the transparent stairs until he confirmed it was solid,making his way up.

He eventually reached the top,seeing only an altar that held a sword in a stasis field which deactivated when he reached for the weapon inside it,the weapon felt heavy in his grasps and extremely hot,the heat was even more intense than his Blazing Sword technique but the heat soon died away,leaving only a warm feeling to the weapon and sheathed it into a scabbard that was by the altar and went down to talk to Arune.

Seeing the sword in Fayt's possession,Arune approached him with a more steady pace, "I see you've obtained the Sword of Pyros,a sword that only allows people with a truly noble heart to be their wielders...though of course,I'm not giving it to you permanently,it's true owner has left with his companions on a journey to Eraklion. I believe that you'll cross paths with him and the weapon return to him but until then,the sword might be able to help you develop new techniques in the near future." Fayt nodded, "Thank you Mr Saladin but I must get back down to help out with the injured,my Symbology might help out with the injured." Arune nodded before he whistled loudly and the same red-winged dragon that carried Fayt up here landed beside him.

"He'll take you back down and thank you for the help young Fayt." Fayt just scratched the back of his head while letting out a chuckle, "We didn't do much,just doing what comes natural." the bluenette quickly climbed into the harness on the dragon's back before lifting itself up with each flap of the wing and gently gliding down to the ground below while Saladin pondered the young man's words before smiling softly and walking back into the building to attend to matters of great importance. "Doing what comes natural,eh...how interesting..."

(A few hours later,Hangar)

"Well young man,I'd rather that you and young companions stayed with us at Red Fountain but we understand that you need to be somewhere,and to help you on your journey,we modified your ship with a few upgrades." Cliff whistled as the ship had just received a complete overhaul as it sported new thrusters and weaponry that blended into the hull that now had a more stealthy look. Cliff and Albel suddenly had the same idea as they suddenly argued about what new name they were going to give it but before the argument became too heated,Fayt settled it as he hit both their heads together.

"Will you two grow up now ?" Cliff nodded as he got onto the ship while Albel grunted and followed the Klausian in, "Okay,if they're not going to name it, can I do it ?" Izak suddenly turned his arm into an airbrush gun and gave the ship it's new name the 'Storm Wraith' in a stylish fashion. Fayt sighed as he shrugged his shoulders, "Well that should keep those two quiet now though I'm wondering if I'm the mature one around here." Fayt turned around and looked at the Specialists who came to see him off,including Daniel who was gently nursing his leg,Saladin then gestured for everyone to give a proper farewell as they all saluted him. Saluting them back,he boarded the Wraith as the students and faculty waved goodbye before the vessel gently hovered out the hangar gate and blasted off into the sky.

(Outer Atmosphere,Aboard the Storm Wraith)

"Alright,our mission is completed for the most part so we'll be returning back to the Diplo after I figure out how the warp system on this ship works. Albel ignored him as he was busy reading a book on arcane magic that he had swiped from Cloud Tower before they had departed for Red Fountain. Cliff was checking out the ship's controls when he pushed a button by mistake and a holo-screen appeared,with Kevin Stromwell's face on it, "Ah finally!We've been trying to reach you for hours. I need a debriefing on the double,I'll open up the hangar bay on the Magellan." Fayt looked through the window to see the small fleet of Federation vessels that seemed to be doing repairs as repair drones floated around the ships. One of them opened up their hangar doors as the Storm Wraith was piloted through the doors.

(Aboard the Magellan)

After half an hour of giving his report,Fayt waved a goodbye as he made his way towards the door "Well there's my report and if you'll excuse us,we need to return to the Diplo." Kevin mulled over the information he was just told. After taking some considerations and self-debating,he opened up communications with the bridge, "What is it Lieutenant Stromwell ?" clearing his throat,he gave his order, "Prepare the Magellan for atmospheric entry into the planet below us." the navigator was confused as he asked Kevin a question, "What for sir ?" "What else,we're going to pay a visit to the Commodore." the officer nodded before orders were given out ship-wide for the crew to prepare for the atmospheric entry of the Magellan.

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(Diplo I,Medical Bay)

The ship's doctor monitored Maria's condition as she laid on one of the beds,a holo-screen projecting the going ons in her womb. "Well doctor,how's the baby coming along ?" the doctor smiled as she adjusted the screen, "Well the fetus is developing quite nicely though the accelerated rate of growth is unexpected of Earthlings,it could be the reaction of you and Mr Leingod's Gene of Destruction and Alteration that's causing this." her comment triggered one of Maria's mood swings as she started panicking.

"Is my baby going to be okay!?Please tell me that I won't need to lose my baby!I don't want to lose my baby!" The doctor calmed her down when she realized her slip of her tongue, "Don't worry,there shouldn't be anything to worry about,the baby is going to be fine,the baby's accelerated development only means that you give birth earlier so that you can be a family with Mr Leingod earlier too and hopefully start a normal life somewhere quiet." Maria breathed in deeply as she daydreamed about her future with Fayt and their child.

"Yeah,we'd live in a large house on a world with large fields of flowers,a small town near us and the only worries is to decide what to do for dinner." the doctor blinked as she'd never thought that Maria would want that kind of life but then again,a life of peace is desired by those who have faced such hardships as she had. "Yeah,a nice place for a family to raise." but she soon regretted those words as Maria started panicking, "Oh dear!What am I going to do about our child's education!He'll need friends of his own age to be with..what about the baby's girlfriend..or worst that it'll be a girl,those boys wouldn't leave her be!" if this was an anime,the doctor would've sweat-dropped at the odd and dramatic behavior of her captain.

"Maybe we should have her sedated,wouldn't you agree doctor ?" the doctor turned around to see Mirage entering the Medical Bay as she soothed Maria's mood before she relaxed enough to be administered a sedative by the doctor as she let out a sigh and fell asleep, "Well doctor,what's her status ?" browsing through Maria's charts,her condition was explained, "Well,her body is reacting normally to birth like a typical pregnant woman but her mood swings are rather..er.. too imaginative so she'll probably need more rest in case it's the stress but as we all know her,it's better to keep her lightly sedated at intervals to avoid any chances of her actions leading to miscarriages."

Mirage nodded as she carried the now docile Maria back to her room,being careful not to bump Maria or her soon-to-be baby into anything, "Hmm,I wonder what kind of crib should we get the baby ? Let alone the clothes.." Mirage giggled as she entered Maria's room which seemed to have been redecorated within the short span of time Maria was gone as a cubicle of sorts was set up in a corner of the room,a few stuffed animals were tastefully positioned by a gap in the cubicle,Mirage carefully deposited Maria unto the bed before going to check out the cubicle's interior and smiled at the sight of Sophia and Peppita sleeping beside a baby crib that was recently put together by hand though she wondered how they managed to get grease on themselves when the crib was obviously a snap-together crib. Mirage chuckled as she nudged them awake.

"Huh..What ? Oh Hey Mirage,check out the crib we put together." Peppita yawned softly as Sophia awoke as well, "Yeah,isn't it nice,we had to go through the storage room behind the hangar to get everything." Mirage checked the cubicle again and remembered the day her father sent these items when he thought she was pregnant with Cliff's child,one of his more vivid imagination acting up,she chuckled as she suddenly remembered the look on Cliff's face when she opened the package and the smack on his cheeks when he made a lewd comment. "It's a good gesture but I think we may need to widen the space a little bit since I doubt the baby would want to be changed in it's crib." Peppita looked around the cubicle and remembered one detail that was missing, "Looks like we forgot the changing table..ehehe." the young girl stuck out her tongue. The three started working as they took apart the partition,taking care to make as little noise as possible.

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(Fortress of Light)

With the Army of Decay now gone,repairs were underway as Cordatorta returned to supervise the reconstruction and to an extent a remodeling of the fortress,while he helped with a fallen pillar when Bastil ran up to him,his face had a worried expression upon it, "Milord!Several of our long-term guests have gone missing!" Cordatorta almost dropped the pillar in his shock, "What!Sound the alarms!Get all available men to look for them,drop everything you're doing and search them out!" Cordatorta had a right to be this tense as the long-term guests that Bastil mentioned weren't like the other guests who have rehabilitated right now,those guests were murderers with no remorse,practitioners of forbidden magic and were still too risky to let loose even if they had rehabilitated,there was one occasion where one of them regained their memories and reeked havoc when he tried to escape,many initiates were lost along with a number of templars before they were able to subdue him.

Cordatorta himself was there as he had witnessed his men being killed one by one as the escapee mercilessly snuffed out their lives so quickly before he could intervene. The possibility of several of these people on the loose is a thought that had haunted him after that first incident and now it's coming true as he watched his templars and initiates rushing to locate the missing 'guests'. He decided to go to his chambers to consider any actions need to be taken to sort out this mess,leaving Bastil in charge to organize the search.

(Minutes Later)

"What the!" Cordatorta yelled out as he stumbled upon a tied up templar initiate who had a holo-player in his tied up hands,he played it as Ronand's figure appeared, "Well you stuck up stiffs!If you found this player than that means either you're taking refuge here or that my invention has failed me,either way I hope you don't mind that we took those guests of yours cause they'll make excellent test subjects for my experiments. See ya losers!" with that Ronand made an obnoxious face and the player shut down. Cordatorta was fuming after he'd helped the initiate get loose of his bindings.

"Tell everyone to stop their searches,the prisoners have been abducted,resume restoration of the fortress and tell Bastil to give me a full status report within the hour." the slightly shaken initiate nodded and took off with his orders to be carried out. Cordatorta sighed deeply as he rubbed his forehead before he yelled out in frustration and delivered a chi-focused punch to the wall,shaking off the dust on the sturdy wall as a small imprint of his fist was left in it's wake. "I better inform Saladin and the others." Cordatorta performed a few hand signs before pouring a bit of his powers into the creation of a portal into which he stepped into just as it completely formed,with it's purpose served the portal lingered a little longer before it disappeared.

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(Andros, Ronand's Mining Camp,Laboratory)

Despite the base being constructed a only few months ago,the interior of the laboratory that Ronand used here was already marred by splashes of chemicals that have long dried or have eaten partially through the thick composite wall. It looked like it was in a state of disrepair as glass shards laid shattered on the ground,pieces of documents scattered across the laboratory,the only thing kept clean and in order was the test table as a series of test tubes,beakers,heat stones and glyphs were all connected in some manner or another as they carried out their functions until the result,a few scant drops of green liquid dropped into a test tube which Ronand snatched up when he deactivated the equipment.

"Good!This should suffice for my needs." he then poured the tube of liquid over a stone that was riddled with glyphs and markings,it glowed brightly before it's brightness dimmed. "This better work..." Ronand pushed a button on his wristband as a pair of handles popped out of his pack which he used to operate a set of limbs with tools attached to them as they manipulated the stone until wisps of energy wrapped around them and the young inventor felt a tingling sensation go up his spine but then,he pulled the mechanical limbs away from the stone and turned around and made the limbs touch an old man who was whimpering softly as he was binded to the wall by shackles.

"Oh be quiet!You'll be more useful here than at that stupid fortress where you were prisoners!" the elderly man who was now revealed to be a former 'guest' at the fortress cowered away from the mechanical limbs but it was futile as he remained binded and as the charged limbs touched him,the wisps of energy surged towards him as he screamed in pain for several minutes while Ronand looked on in fascination as he recorded the experiment on a camera he had on hand. By the end of the whole experiment,the lab was now filled with mist,Ronand swept away the mist with one of his back pack's multi-functional limbs.

When the lab was clear of any inhibitions to sight,Ronand looked at where the old man was who was still the same,only he was severely burned,barely breathing as he choked on his breath and was seemingly dying. Ronand sighed as he recorded his findings, "Compound 14 had dire effects on Subject 115,clearly the test subjects from the Fortress isn't as a hardy stock as the subjects from other worlds..wait... Something is happening,Subject 115 appears to be..regenerating." Despite being on the brink of death,the man's body regenerated and kept growing until the reaction stopped at him becoming a middle aged man who was quite muscular,perhaps even more so than Axilles but just as unshaven as the man spoke, "It appears that I've been reawakened,I owe you my thanks little one..hehe but it appears that I'll have to kill you now."

Ronand remained relaxed as he continued recording, "Subject 115 appears to have reverted to it's original state prior to it's imprisonment at the Fortress of Light,Compound 14 may not be a failure after all." the man grunted as he got ready to punch Ronand until the boy snapped his fingers and several robots appeared and produced laser blades from their wrists that hovered dangerously close to the man's neck. "How about you listen to me or do you no longer feel attached to your head being on your body anymore ?" the man grunted as he put down his raised fist,the robots responding in kind as their laser blades shut off but remained ready to strike at a moment's notice.

"You got my compliance boy,what you want from me ?" Ronand went to the table that held the stone as he analyzed it while talking at the same time, "First of,I want your name since we'll be working together for a while." the man guffawed at this before he answered the question, "My name has been long abandoned,but you can refer to me as the Berserker." Ronand stopped his analysis as he chuckled, "Heh,Berserker..a person whose rage gives them incredible strength equal to hundreds of men,interesting but what intrigues me the most is how Compound 14 regenerated your body..perhaps this can be applied to a more recent acquisition here on Andros.."

Ronand pressed a button on an unmarred wall as it revealed an underwater cavern that contained the fossilized remains of the once mighty Kraken. Celina returned through a portal as she quickly picked up Ronand and cuddled him, "Stop it Celina!I'm not your toy!" "Aw!But you are my..huh ? Oh!We have a guest,hello there..my name's Celina,I'm Ronand's assistant and his-" Ronand struggled as he was still in Celina's grasp but after a few failed attempts,he managed to slip out of her arms, "Celina!Get back to work now!" his assistant pouted before getting back to her place at the table, "And as for you Berserker..my robots will lead you to the armory,I think that your fists alone won't be much of a weapon without proper equipment." the man nodded as he was led away by the robots,leaving Ronand and Celina to themselves.

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(Adquistes,Galactical Enterprise)

All was normal within the walls of Adquistes as hundreds of people wandered in and out of various stores and restaurants and it was a routine that Olsen Wittcomb always enjoyed seeing,almost as much as he enjoys watching his son play with his toys,especially with the new addition of Mikey,the little playmate which was now doing back flips over a tower of blocks they made together while Joanna was painting a portrait of the two. Olsen leaned against the armchair Joanna was in as he sighed, "Anything wrong dear ?" Olsen shook his head softly, "Nothing at all Joanna,it's just that peaceful moments like these are the dreams of many soldiers such as myself."

Joanna chuckled softly as she let her magic complete the portrait as she held her husband's hand, "You're not a soldier anymore now,you are a father now so please,forget about war..at least for now." Olsen nodded as he squeezed his wife's hand but this touching moment was interrupted when one of his men entered the room, "I'm sorry to interrupt you Mr. Wittcomb but there is an urgent matter that just arose and requires our organization's immediate attention." Olsen left his wife's side and took the report from his subordinate,quickly looking through it,his eyes became furrowed as he read on,he then whispered to avoid his family overhearing him "Mobilize the militia,inform the local security forces to be on the alert. Prepare our forces to move out to Magix." the man saluted as he went out to relay the orders

Olsen returned to his family's side and kissed Joanna's cheek, "Honey,please take Johnathan and follow my men to the building's shelter and stay there until I come back." the magic on the brush stopped as it dropped to the paint pallet, "What are you talking about ?" the former Commodore sat down into the chair beside hers, "Joanna honey,it appears that Magix is being besieged by a remnant of the Army of Decay that attacked Red Fountain recently and we've been requested to give support. So please,just take our child and go to the shelter."

Instead of following his suggestion,his wife took the fallen paintbrush and continued painting, "Don't you worry about me dear,I know how to defend myself and our child and besides,I feel confident that you'll return triumphant. So either you can waste your time trying to get me to the shelter or get out there and save Magix." Olsen let out a sigh of frustration as he turned towards the door, "Alright,I'll be home by dinner time." with that he left.

(Outside Adquistes)

After several minutes,a sizable force of hover-tanks,ships and drones was gathered outside the walls of the city,a ship arrived with Olsen on board,once it landed,Olsen stepped out to see several men and women and coughed to clear his throat, "As all of you know,Magix is under attack right now and though most of us aren't native to this dimension,we will do our best to protect it." cheers were heard from the troops. "Very good!Now move out!" Olsen then went aboard a different ship that was to be the command ship for the mission,it looked similar to the vessels used by Red Fountain but had modifications that made the interior look like a Federation ship that soon launched into the air,followed by several fighter jets as the land-bound units followed closely towards Magix with several plumes of smoke rose from within it's walls as markers.

All this while,Joanna was watching Olsen's ship flying towards Magix with Jon-Jon in her arms, "Where Daddy gowing ?" the child pointed at the quickly shrinking dot that was Olsen's ship,Mikey quietly nestled on his hand, "He's just going to beat up some bad guys and while he's doing that,why don't we give you a bath to get ready for dinner ?" Jon-Jon squealed in delight as Joanna carried him out of the room.

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(Andros,Eraklion Summer Home)

Trevor stood in awe at the so-called 'Summer Home' that was more fortress than a place of leisure as fortifications,however damaged it was still impressive to look at,soldiers of Eraklion origins were patrolling the perimeter though they stopped when they saw him and the column of people behind him. "Are you the ones from the Royal Grace that Princess Anastasia told us earlier ?" Trevor nodded, "Uh yeah..please help the civilians get inside." the soldiers saluted as they went to assist the incoming civilians. He walked up to the gates leading in but stopped when he noticed the remains of a recent battle as weapons laid splintered around the area and there was just as many mounds of destroyed Decay Larvae that were once larger Beast Troopers or Juggernauts as they now lay smoldering.

"These guys must've just fought a tough battle recently." he stopped as he happened upon a few mounds of dirt as swords were dug into them,signifying they were grave markers for fallen defenders "Guess some of them didn't make it.." in respect,Trevor saluted at the graves,he then was joined by Argus and Sera who saluted as well, "Come on Trevor,we have much to do." while the guards and soldiers helped the civilians,Argus and the others entered the Summer Home but were greeted by a sight of many wounded soldiers that were being tended to by some of the servants of the castle who were assisted by villagers who had taken refuge in the castle. When one of the guards saw Argus,they all went up to him and saluted him, "We are glad to see your Highness visit us but as you can see,our situation is quite bad at the moment."

"I need a report on our situation,what about the resources at your disposal ?" one of the guards nodded, "We've recently just used up our medical supplies,bandages,salves,potions,everything has been used up after the last assault,we're holding out only on our healers now and even they can't heal us all." Argus looked around as the soldiers had wounds that were only partially healed and saw one healer apparently used all her remaining magic on a wounded man until she fainted,Argus rushed to the healer's side, "Get her some water,I'll take over the healing." some of the soldiers frowned at this, "But Your Highness,wouldn't that harm you instead ?" Oliver stepped in as he explained, "Not to worry,His Highness has developed his powers so that the side-effect of his healing is no longer a problem."

With that,Argus soon found himself healing a long line of people,he was just glad that he had help from Reina and the healers from the Royal Grace but after healing another person,a pair of hands covered his eyes, "Guess who ?" Argus decided to play along, "Hmm,is it my ancestor Daphne..or maybe it's Rylon's old man speaking in a squeaky voice ?" he smiled when he was turned around in his swivel chair but regretted his words when Anesha had a glint in her eyes, "Rylon's old man huh...you're going to pay for that." he was then spun around several times in the chair before he stopped himself by stamping his feet down,then got up,smirked at Anesha, "You'll need to do better than that..." he then walked a few steps before he fell down in a dizzied stupor as he saw stars and fire-breathing dragons fly around his head.

After getting up a bit later,the two were discussing current events while the rest were being healed by Reina and the other healers, "I'm curious on how the Council of Magic could ignore Andros' condition for so long,do you know anything about it Anesha ?" Anesha shook her head, "Unfortunately I don't have much info on that,except signals with a device in that this village here is the location where a communication array was to be built,it was our only chance to pierce the jamming field. Though lately,repelling the attacks has been a more important issue lately."

"Does that explain the lack of supplies being delivered here ? Aren't the people in the village important as well ?" Anesha looked out the open window as she saw the devastated village ruins, "It is but ever since father poisoning,my mother went into a state of depression after 3 months into father's coma,Andros is effectively being ruled by the noblemen now." Argus was a bit shocked by her reply, "Aren't you the princess ? Shouldn't you be in charge if your father is unavailable?" Anesha shook her head, "No,not anymore...most of the noble houses still resent Layla's action of instating a princess's right to rule Andros and took power before I could stop them. They're probably deciding who'll marry me to effectively take over the throne so as you might have guessed,I'm now nothing more than a political pawn for them to use and lock away in a glass case. I have no power over Andros now,I'm just glad that the soldiers were willing to help me get away from the palace."

Argus approached Anesha who was shaking with anger and hugged her, "Stop!I don't need any sympathy from you..!" Argus refused to let go as he let Anesha vent out her anger as she struggled against his hold,she even forced a few ice spheres to attack him but his Dragon Fire aura protected him as the ice melted and splashed both of them. After some time,Anesha broke down as her tears mixed with the water running down her face, "Are you alright ?" Argus' wet hair didn't prevent him from seeing Anesha nodding slowly as his powers dried both of them with a gentle warmth to which Anesha became weak at the knees as she suddenly felt the drain from using her powers so much just now.

Sighing,Argus deposited Anesha onto the sofa,"You always do this whenever you get angry.."Argus sat down beside her as he began transferring a bit of his energy to her. She then got up and huffed in contempt "I know..but what am I supposed to do in this kind of situation ?" Argus was lost in thought for a moment when Anesha noticed how close they were,causing her to react as she slapped Argus but with her unusual level of strength,she sent him reeling onto the floor, "What the hell was that for!?"

Anesha realized that she'd overreacted but wouldn't admit it,"That was for getting fresh with me!"Argus looked confused for a moment before an idea formed in his head,"That's it!I got the perfect plan on how to fix the problem for both this village and you!" Anesha gave Argus a curious but cautious look as she had her arms crossed, "Well,what's your bright idea ?"Argus then went up to her and whispered into her ear,making her face turn beet red before she pulled away, "You want us to do marry each other ?" Argus put his hand on her shoulder, "Don't worry,it'll work out fine,we'll just announce to those nobles that we're engaged and that should-huh ?" Argus saw Reina by the door as her eyes were tearing up, "Reina I can explain!" but before he could get the chance to do,she ran away, "Reina!Wait!"

Anesha sighed as she hit him over the head, "What are you waiting for you idiot!Go after her!" Argus nodded as he took off after her,leaving Anesha to think over Argus' plan, "Me marrying Argus...what a laugh..." she chuckled a bit until she thought about her friendship with Argus,she smiled as she remembered the summer vacations the Royal family from Eraklion had on Andros,so many fond memories but they were just that,nothing more than friends. She then looked out of the window and spotted a large number of dark mounds swarming over the cliff face area where the Royal Grace had crashed landed. Anesha fashioned a spyglass with ice lenses encased with a morphix shell and gasped at the sight of hundreds upon hundreds of skeleton monsters that appeared to be merged with Juggernauts and Beast-Troopers and all of them appeared to be marching towards the village.

"Damn it,telling everyone will only cause panic among the people...better go handle this myself." she grabbed her cloak,checked her Blade Fans before jumping out through the window and used what remained of the village rooftops to roof hop the way out of the village with no one noticing her as they were still a bit shocked with the recent occurrence of Argus chasing after Reina except for one person who was visiting the graves of the fallen soldiers as he was examining the names upon the tags that were hanging on but then saw a shadow pass over him and by instinct,Trevor pulled out his Phantosword and saw Anesha moving away, "Now what's she up to ?" He then felt Aiden's presence when the fire knight in materialized in it's ethereal form, _'It appears that she's going to try an intercept a large numbers of dark beings that seem to have the same magical trace of the Army of Decay,will you go and stop her ?'_

Trevor nodded before made a dash for the forest while keeping Anesha in his line of sight,Aiden's ethereal form following closely behind,serving as an additional pair of eyes and ears and to an extent a seventh sense to Trevor as he suddenly could sense everything that was happening around him,including Anesha who was rushing towards the Army of Darkness, "Is this your doing Aiden ?" _'Indeed,you'll need all the help you can get if we're suppose to fight the enemy'_ "Thanks Aiden,I appreciate it." Aiden nodded as he fell back slightly behind Trevor before fading back into Trevor, _'It'll be easier if we were together'_ Trevor suddenly felt an increase in power as he started speeding up,but slowed down to keep pace with Anesha.

While all this happened,Argus was still giving chase to Reina who had somehow eluded him,he then then stopped at what was once the garden veranda and put his hands over his head while just dropping onto his rear, "Just great,all that training and I can't even catch up to her...god I'm such an idiot!" he then heard someone softly crying,he looked around for the source and followed it to a part of the garden that remained untouched by the battle,it looked almost identical to the garden that was on the Royal Grace,he looked around the area until he spotted Reina who had appeared to have just stopped crying as she hugged her legs close, "What do you want ?"

"Reina,let me explain it..please." Argus was given the cold shoulder as Reina huffed and turned her back to him,Argus knelt onto his knees as he pleaded with Reina, "Please Reina,hear me out,I'm on my knees!" he then used something that he learned in Alfea as he morphed himself into a little kitten that had yellow fur with a tuft of red hair on it's head, "Come on,please will you at least look at me ?" Reina couldn't resist as she put her hands around Argus and lifted him onto her lap, "Fine,I'm listening."

Argus started as he explained to Reina in his little feline form as the occasional mew got out in between some sentences which sort of helped lightened Reina's mood during the explanation.

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(70 S.D.,Expel,City of Cross Spaceport)

Centuries after the exploits of Claude C. Kenni,the city of Cross had remained the capital of Expel,trade and tourism flourished here as dozens of traders and tourists walked out of the Orbital Elevator's Terminal departure gates,the main reason tourism and trade thrived here was because of Expel's still pristine condition of it's environment which attracted tourists who desired to see what their homeworlds might have been like in the past and the tourists attracted entrepreneurs from everywhere in the sector who wanted to cash in on the abundance of potential customers and to some,potential suckers as one such character stepped in front of Thomas and Shinryu as Sophia was told to stay behind them.

"Hello my fine gentlemen,I was just wandering around when I noticed you and your group walk out through those gates and it seems to me that you are in need of fine souvenirs for your friends and families back home no ?" the hustler then opened up his his overcoat that hid his worn out suit,the insides of the coat held quite a number of trinkets,Shinryu grinned as if he had just found a new way to enjoy himself, "You two go ahead a bit,I'll catch up with you in a moment." they nodded as they walked off to what they thought was a bus terminal of sorts while Shinryu led the the hustler away somewhere.

"Wonder why Shinryu is late ?The hoverbus to our lodgings in Salva will be leaving soon..oh just great,they left without us." Thomas groaned as he went up to the ticket counter, "Um,excuse me but when is the next bus for Salva will be ?" the ticket girl blinked before she nodded, "Yes sir,let me check our schedule...oh dear,I'm afraid that there won't be any more buses to Salva today,perhaps you could stay at the local inn or hotel until tomorrow when the buses for Salva are ready." Thomas thanked her before returning to Sophia.

"Looks like we'll be staying here for the night,we'll wait for Shinryu..ah,speak of the devil,here he comes..." Thomas' jaw was agape as he saw Shinryu running away from a large mob of angry merchants. "Run!You two!Run!" Thomas hastily picked up their luggage before the three made a hasty retreat, "What did you do!" Shinryu grinned as his teeth became fangs for a moment, "I'll explain later!Just keep running!" Shinryu grinned as he quickly breathed out fire,keeping the mob at bay as they made their escape.

(Later,at the City Gates)

Thomas was hunched over as he was breathing heavily from running while carrying the luggage as well as Sophia when Shinryu's fire breath nearly set both of them on fire,he was thankful his suit was so resilient, "So Shinryu..what did you do to incur the wrath of those merchants ?" Shinryu pulled out a cylindrical device which he pulled at until it split into a see through panel that projected a map of Expel with certain markings on each town or city, "This my friend is a map of Expel that has an auto-update functions for merchants here and it took quite a bit of convincing to get one."

Thomas was a bit miffed that they were chased by a mob all because of a map, "Well,since going back to Cross would be out of the question,I suppose that we might as well start walking to our destination,if that is okay with you Miss Sophia." Sophia smiled, "It's alright,I don't mind walking,besides I always wanted to know what Earth was like in the past and walking through the plains of Expel will be as close as I will ever get." She picked up her bag and walked a few steps before turning around, "Well,what are you two waiting for ?" Thomas shrugged as he picked up their belongings and went to Sophia's side as the trio started their trek towards the town of Salva.

(Meanwhile,City of Cross)

Somewhere in the back alleyway of the city a bunch of people were trying to help the hustler who was literally crammed into a trash can and resembled a Hermit Crab with the trash can for a shell as his fingers were holding on tight to a nearby pole as the can was being pulled but when the can finally came off,a resounding pop was heard followed by the distinct sound of somebody hitting metal as the hustler then dizzily stood up then fell down moaning as his limbs laid sprawled out. Shinryu's acute sense hearing caught the sounds as he chuckled darkly.

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(Location:Space,Schilling's Fleet,Typhoon)

Wayne settled into his quarters at the Typhoon,he still felt a bit unnerved by the fact that he was currently aboard a vessel where hundreds of his comrades have died and the scent of iron was still detectable,a somewhat gruesome picture came into his mind as he imagined how they had died,he wished that it was at least painless for them. The intercom turned on as Church's voice came through, "Alright people since we're still restoring the ship up to it's full capacity..as well as it's environment,I would like to ask that all of you idiots just hold your breath and pray you don't get sucked through the toilet or something cause I'm purging the current air supply."

This made Wayne panic as he quickly breathed in as much as possible as the air in the ship was suddenly vented out,he found it quite hard to calm down as he knew panicking would cause him to lose precious air,it was even more difficult considering the suction force created by the sudden movement of air was strong enough to send him flying out of his quarters and knock the breath out of him when he slammed into the wall,he rubbed his back as the impact hurt but in that instant,he realized that air no longer filled his lungs as he gasped for air that wasn't there,he grasped his neck as his lungs cried out for air,he blacked out for a moment before he found himself able to breath again,he saw Tyson pressing a gasmask over his mouth.

When the air returned to the ship,the intercom went back online as Church's voice came through once more, "Sorry it took so long,Caboose barged in when I was about to restore the air pressure,say sorry Caboose." Caboose's voice came through as he apologized, "Sorry I stalled the air thingy,I hope no one's head popped because of me. Though if it did,I think some glue might help,it worked for my action figures." Church's sigh was audible as he turned off the intercom.

"Good thing I made it in time huh Gerard ?" Wayne nodded as he lifted the gasmask off, "Yes,thank you but how did you know to bring that oxygen tank with you ?...Does this happen a lot ?" Tyson nodded, "Yeah,Caboose always almost kill people unintentionally on a regular basis but he's a good kid,a few rounds short of a full clip maybe but he's a good kid. Too bad he had to get involved in all this." Wayne followed Tyson as he asked some questions.

"So can you tell me everyone's story cause I'd like to know them better.." Tyson chuckled as he tried to sum up their friends' history, "You may or may not know this but Church and Tucker were part of a mercenary group called the Azure Raiders,but despite their mission success rates,their leader a Butch Flowers and yes that's his actual name,died for unknown reason. To put it short,they disbanded for the most part,leaving Church and Tucker as remnants. They apparently found Caboose wandering aimlessly aboard a ship that was attacked by pirates,he was on a school trip poor kid the trauma cause him to lose a large chunk of his memory,reverting him to a childlike persona. Church took him in and raised him up with some help from Tucker though it was kind of hard since Caboose was literally a big kid. Though one day Schilling's forces started moving as they conscripted soldiers from here and there,quite a few signed up out of hatred for the Federation while others like Sarge and his group were different."

Wayne gestured for Tyson to keep talking, "Please continue,I'd like to know more." Tyson complied as he continued the story, "Sarge to say the least was a soldier through and through,he was the squad captain of a group of soldiers called the Crimson Sonics who were tasked with the defense of their homeworld,the Vendeeni saw to it he had no world to protect anymore,he lost quite a lot of his men,he found only Simmons and later Griff. Simmons was fresh out of the military academy as an officer but got sent into the line of fire as he fought tooth and nail for survival but he lost his fellow graduates,that's why he's so willing to help..sort of a way for him to make up for his helplessness to save his comrades." Wayne nodded solemnly as he realized there was a pattern forming around his friends, "What about Griff ?" _'Surely he doesn't have such a tragic past but then again'_

"Griff ? Well..he's a different case..he lived with his sister since his parents are dead,he provided for both of them but eventually,when their world was attacked Griff just ran to their home,hoping that his sister was alright,he just came back to see that Sarge found his sister before both him and the rest made their escape. Last time Griff saw her,she was left at one of the Federation Stations but beyond that,Griff kept quiet about that...so,do you feel depressed yet ?" Wayne was a little disturbed by the story behind the faces but shook his head. "No..so I guess the only story you haven't told me yet..is yours." Tyson hesitantly told his tale though it was evidently more detailed than the others as they sat down in one of the ship's rooms.

"I was a student at Bachtain,not the best student since I was a bully there,went a little too far once when I tried to get a girl to be my girlfriend,a friend of hers came in and tried to stop me,I had a gun with me and I tried to take him down but in the blink of an eye and a flash later,I couldn't move my arms properly as I was apprehended by the authorities,I resigned myself in order to repent but the transport that was taking me and a few others to the detention center was ambushed by unknown attackers,the guards were killed,and the prisoners followed them out and I got caught up in the struggle to escape.

I ended up being sent to a boot camp of sorts,told to follow orders and never disobey them,we didn't know that we were going to be Schilling's secret army then,but others found out and tried to leave but were brainwashed to obey,others tried to resist this as well but they all succumbed to the brainwashing,I wasn't part of the program cause I wasn't that noticeable..until we were ordered into simulators,my scores were quite high so I was promoted and got a mobile suit,I along with the rest who survived the training were finally told that Schilling was the one we were supposed to follow in his scheme for toppling the Pangalactic Federation but by then no one voiced any concerns about this..even I was quiet,fear keeping me silent,the others were either the same or totally brainwashed into total compliance.

After that,we were sent out into combat on the outer rings,areas uncharted by the Federation but apparently not so uncharted to Schilling as well as some pirates and mercenaries,we fought and conscripted pirates and mercenaries alike,some join because of the pay others were escaped convicts of the Federation. Most of them had the same goal,to destroy the Federation."

Wayne hesitated asking the question that was on his mind at the moment but his curiosity got the better of him, "What's your goal then ?" Tyson sighed as he looked out the porthole into the darkness of space, "You may think it's weird but I just want to go back home and apologize to three particular people and hope that they'll accept it...all I want is redemption." Wayne kept silent as he left the room,leaving Tyson to his thoughts. Though he didn't expect to come face to face with Sarge who was for some unknown reasons carrying a large butterfly net, "Hey there greenhorn,seen Griff around here ? I need him to recalibrate the ship's system."

Simmons came around the corner and waved over to them, "Sarge!I think I've found Griff!He's in storage room number 2,that's where our food container is stored,he's probably munching into something right now." Sarge grunted as he cursed, "Damn that boy!If he's going to lock himself in a food container like he did before,I'm busting out my trusty friend!" and from out of nowhere,Sarge pulled out a shotgun that as far as Wayne knew was supposed to be banned for it's calibration of being too brutal of a weapon, "You're not seriously considering blowing open a container with that shotgun now are you ?" Wayne came face to face with the shotgun's muzzle and the smell of gunpowder on it indicated that had been used frequently if not recently, "Listen here you greenhorn!Griff actually locked himself in quite a few containers like these before and ate what should've been a whole week's worth of food for a skeleton crew and if you hadn't put 2 and 2 together yet ya Nancy!That's our ration until we get the Replicators back online!" Sarge stormed off into where the storage room and and powerful blast was sounded before Sarge came out dragging Griff who was whining about wanting a nap.

"Well tough cookies Griff,get going and get this ship up and running or I'm gonna run you into the ground and make it your grave and dance on it laughing!" Griff suddenly started running towards the bridge when Sarge released his grip, "Roger that!The ship should be up in the next few hours!" Sarge chuckled gruffly as he rested the shotgun on his shoulder, "Hehe,that always gets him." Simmons shook his head slowly, "Well you almost did carried out that threat once though he did get away before you put the dirt over him,we couldn't find him for days." "That's the beauty of it!He has no where to go in this ship,and he loves to eat and sleep so the only place he'll go to is right behind me!"

Simmons shook his head as he pointed out the flaw in Sarge's plan, "But Sarge,the Replicators will be back online once Griff fixes them,they'll be his first priority!" but Sarge was lost in his thoughts as chuckled at an imaginary scene where he was dancing on Griff's grave with a sticker on his grave marker that said unleaded oil while muffled banging can be heard underground. Sarge continued chuckling as he reloaded his shotgun with the infamous 'hippo' shells before he went walking off,whistling an off-key tune of the Funeral March,leaving Wayne and Simmons feeling a bit disturbed by his whistling though they were given a heart attack when Tyson came out of the room wearing a gasmask and a welding torch in his hand, "So Caboose didn't blow a hole in the hull did he ?" Wayne and Simmons shook their heads, "Is Sarge humming the Funeral March again ?"

"Whistling actually,I'm glad that he avoided hitting the food,I had to pick out 14 buckshots out of my mouth when I had a sandwich last time." Wayne was now reconsidering his option of performing a kamikaze attack against the Crimson Noble but with the Typhoon as the vessel but stopped when he remembered the history of everyone aboard the vessel as he put a shoulder around Tyson and Simmons and led them towards the storage room, "Well how about we rustle up something to eat without the buckshot,eh?" Simmons nodded whole-heartedly as Tyson just dumped the dead weight of a blowtorch and went along into the storage room.

((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((Borderline))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

(15th Militia Spaceport,Storage Warehouse)

The storage area was abuzz with activities as people were rushing about either on foot or vehicular means as they all moved supplies into the Olympian Justice while technicians and drones made repairs that were incurred during Schilling's assault and due to the limited number of personnel and vehicles to actually move the supplies aboard the ship,the mobile suits were used to move the larger supply crates that were comparatively small in the Zakus' hands as they walked into the Olympian Justice's hangar,before depositing the crates onto hover trolleys that were directed by the technicians to the cargo bays while the Zakus went back for more crates though the pilots were a bit taken aback when the Nightshade and the Cerberus units which had both their modules removed since they were both carrying one of the two remaining G-Units in between them as the non-piloted unit to the ship.

The unit had it's small frame in between them,it's body was lightly armored,it almost had a feminine quality to it,especially it's accentuated 'waist' and it's cockpit location being in the upper torso instead of of the abdomen area like the other units as this unit's arms sported streamlined gauntlets and it's legs were just as feminine as the rest of it's body as it was barely armored below the 'waist' except for the skirt-plate that held odd-looking pod-like modules on them,it was obviously built for speed in mind as the legs were mounted with multiple boosters and vernier thrusters on them but despite all these features,one thing was on everyone's mind as they saw it being carried to the ship.

"It's pink!No wonder that had the most tarps covering it in the hangar,it's downright girly!" a few snickers were heard until Reika Balfour's voice was heard painfully loud and clear over Nightshade's speakers, "Any one got a problem with girls !?" the men kept quiet under the threatening glare that came from the Nightshade as it's eyes flashed while the female personnels giggled at their expense. The three G-Units moved into the hangar as it was placed into it's designated corner of the hangar while the remaining unit was transported by the other Zakus as they struggled under the weight of the unit as it was heavily armored,one would think it was overly armored as the unit's limbs seemed too heavy to move,even within a weightless environment,it was definitely a unit built only for suppressive fire as it was armed with multiple pieces of artillery and munition holds built into the body,the largest of the weapons were a pair of double-barreled cannons on the shoulders but due to the volatile nature of the munitions used by the unit,it had a special dock that fully encased the unit,leaving only the top of it's armored head as well as it's shoulder cannons exposed,the Zakus moved back out of the ship to retrieve more supplies that poured in from all over the station as everyone was following David Schultz's new orders: 'Get everyone aboard the Olympian Justice and make their way back to Earth to inform the Federation about Schilling attacking the station and hopefully stop him dead in his tracks.

The only immediate obstacle now is repairing the ship's Gravitic Warp Drive as David was surveying the repairs as a team of engineers were struggling to repair the Warp Drive but their progress was slow at best, "What's the situation ?" the lead engineer sighed as he gave his report while jotting down details on a hand held holo-pad, "Well sir,to be honest,our progress is at a snail's pace,this Warp Drive is quite advanced for us,must be a prototype,our tools aren't enough to get it operational,we need at least the schematics to it to improve our progress." "What about switching this Warp Drive with another you're familiar with ?" this solution was met with disapproval as he shook his head, "We thought of that earlier but the ones we have aren't compatible with the ship,perhaps the schematics are in our databanks somewhere." David nodded, "I believe so,I'll go search for it while you do your best to repair the Warp Drive." the engineers saluted before going back to work.

David searched through the databanks on his PDA while walking through the busy hallways,making sure that he was out of their way but somehow still bumped into a soldier who was carrying a box of folders and the contents went flying,scattering them all over the floor, "I'm sorry sir,I'll get these files in proper order right now." the soldier had bags under her eyes and her hair was frayed,David almost thought the soldier was a dead person moving about so he put his hand on hers, "Don't worry about it,here let me get that for you..." with a swift sleight of his hand,he sent the soldier into a state of unconscious by pressing on a pressure point before getting one of the other more healthier looking personnels to get the soldier to a bed.

Taking upon himself to reorganize and deliver the files,David sat quietly on the floor while sorting through the files until a blueprint caught his eyes, "Well what do you know,the schematics for the Olympian Justice's Warp Drive,I better get these to the engineers,I'll sort these out later." stuffing the other folders back into the box and handed it to someone, "Take this to my quarters will you ?" but before the soldier could respond,David was already a long way down the hall. The fellow simply sighed and went to carry out his order.

Meanwhile,the Cerberus was moving supplies that were next to the ship into the cargo hold until it came upon a large container that was almost the same size as the Cerberus,this made Andrew quite curious as he made the Cerberus move it's hand to open the container but before he could,the Nightshade came up behind him, "Well Andrew,if you have the time to be opening containers,how about moving them into the ship,we're on a schedule you know." Andrew chuckled as he complied with Reika's demands, "Alright then Lieutenant Balfour,mind helping me with this then ? It's rather big if you hadn't noticed." Reika grunted as she moved the Nightshade in to help the Cerberus carry the container which was so heavy,her unit's joints started sparking once the weight was on their units,even the larger Cerberus was forced to use it's flank-mounted railguns as makeshift supports pillars as they were immediately forced to offload the container less they incur crippling damage from the weight but once the container fell,it broke open partially but feeling like kids caught with their hands in the cookie jar,they quickly closed it and got the Zakus to help out.

While moving the container towards the ship,Reika opened a private channel to Andrew, "Heinmann,did you see what I saw in that container ?"

Andrew nearly choked on air when Reika's face appeared on the screen,so he cleared his throat before answering "If you mean an incomplete mobile suit then yes." "What do you think it means ?" Andrew shook his head, "I wouldn't know myself considering I thought the Mobile Suit Project didn't exist anymore and here I am,piloting one of the G-Units which I thought there was only five of them." Reika could only nod in silence as her faith in Commander Cain was wavering, _'How many secrets have you been keeping from us commander...'_ she could only wonder as she quietly piloted Nightshade.

* * *

Well that's all I can do right now folks,my mind would be spent if I continued anymore on this chapter and I need it for my finals next week but enough of my whining,on to the WiVo!

WiVo:

Since Thomas,Shinryu and Sophia are going on foot to Salva,what do you think will happen to them there after they settle in the Inn?(pardon the word pun)

A. They find another part for the Time-Watch

B. The merchants finds them,looking for payback

C. Sophia gets 'kidnapped'

D. Hmm..well you get the idea. Unknown

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter cause it'll be quite a while until the next chapter,until next time folks,this is Argus456 signing off


	28. Author's Note

Sorry to my readers,this isn't an update but merely a notice to anyone who cared to read this far: for those who have read up to this point and want to read more of my story. I have to say sorry and hope you accept my apology as I may not be able to continue this story as it has been years since my last chapter was written and I haven't touched the materials from where this story was spawned like Winx Club and the such so I have no choice but to either:

A. Give the story up for adoption if anyone is willing to

B. Rewrite the whole thing which will take a long while

C. Simply leave it there with this notice as it's last update or until I get inspired again to continue

I am willing and yet unwilling to do any of this but if anyone votes enough then I guess your wish is my command..

Anyway,until then this is Argus456 signing off


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